Kohima, March 13 (MExN): Kohima Law College observed World Consumer Rights Day on March 13 ahead of its observation on March 15.
Assistant Professor and President NVCO, Kezhokhoto Savi presented the key note address. As the NVCO’s week-long celebration reached the fifth day, Savi said that the day was first celebrated in 1993 and became an important annual occasion for mobilizing citizen action and solidarity within the international movement.
The celebration gives an opportunity to let the consumers demand that their rights are respected and protected, he said.
Consumers International (CI) announced the theme for the year 2020 – “The Sustainable Consumers.’ The aim of sustainable consumption is to increase resource efficiency and fair trade while helping to alleviate poverty and enable everyone to enjoy a good quality of life with access to food, water, energy and more.
Topics relating to consumer rights were also presented by four students during the occasion.
Earlier, on March 12, the Kohima District Truck Owners and Drivers Union (KDTODU) and Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) also asked the state government to stop all forms of illegal taxation in the state.
Savi pointed out the government’s standing order banning collection of taxes by any organization or individual including government departments such as police, excise, forest, taxes department etc at the checkgates and on any highways and the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench judgment disallowing the union/federation/association/society from collecting cash on highways.
General Secretary of KDTOD, Küvethi Puro asked the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima about the report of the Enquiry Committee to check the illegal collection of cash at checkgates and on highways in and around Kohima stating that, so far the authority has not taken action in stopping illegal collection.
The two bodies further expressed surprise that during the 13th session of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), the Home Minister Nagaland was not aware of other illegal collection of cash/taxation except Geology and Mining department at Chümoukedima checkgate.
They questioned the Home Minister’s ignorance, “which is under his purview of which he is responsible.”
It further questioned the Deputy Chief Minister who also holds Home, of where the ‘stern action’ was against illegal collection at check gates.
