Dimapur, May 1 (MExN): The Anti Corruption Council of India on Sunday highlighted various pertinent issues which it said, needed immediate redressal by the Government as well as the citizens of Nagaland.
According to a press release issued by the P Pius Lotha, Chairperson, North-East Legal Cell (ACCI), taxation by the government as well as the nongovernmental organizations on the business community and the common people should be tackled taking into consideration the difficulties and hardships faced by the public in day-to-day life. “Much has been stressed about collection of taxes from source through syndicate systems which are the cause of high price rise on commodities which are of public utility services and has been exposed by some organizations through hard evidence supported by recordings and documents which are executed by syndicate system,” the release stated.
However, it noted that a “lackadaisical approach of the executing agency and lack of deterrent punishment given to the culprits by the Courts is encouraging the criminals to continue repeating the offence which needs to be pondered.”
It said that different organizations, on many occasions, have raised concerns about appointments of Government servants made by bypassing the laid down rules and regulations. Such appointments, it said has encompassed and multiplied the burden of the Government rendering it unable to handle the issue of releasing the salaries on time to some departments. It termed it as a “disgrace for a Government in power.”
Further, it viewed that the law enforcing agencies in many occasions have been snubbed by the law breakers either conscientiously or inadvertently due to the failure to punish the law breakers when they are committing crime. “It can be said to be a syndicate system when the law breakers are not punished even in spite of having being exposed by the general public and responsible organizations for the offence committed by certain habitual offenders,” it stated.
In this connection, it referred to the fuel adulteration issue in 2016 was raised by some civil societies. However, the accused persons who were arrested were released on bail and the same persons have allegedly been found continuing the same crime.
Citing similar instances, the ACCI stated that many civil societies have time and again raised issues of dubious activities taking place in the state. “However, since there is no outcome of punishment against the offenders the crime rate continues to increase which is very harrowing and is a defeat and a mockery to the rule of law.” While complementing the crusaders of the civil societies who have exposed corruption by the government agencies and non government agencies as well as individual law breakers, it is also imperative for the general public to expose the menace of corruption in the state through various media, the release stated.
Further, the ACCI stated that “people occupying the chair, both elected and non elected has been siphoning from the public exchequer without any developmental activities resulting to creating static, for which the funding agency monitoring the NITI Aayog has declared Nagaland as the ‘Worst Performing State’ for two consecutive years.”
“The corruption orchestrated by the government as well as the rampant taxation by the different insurgence groups has denied development in the state for public welfare, resulting to poor road conditions, neglect of Health Centers, laxness of educational institutions and other establishments which has directly affected the populace resulting squandering the life of educated youths after completing studies from various universities of the country,” it said. Towards this, it said that unless the Naga populace join to check and balance on corruption in the society, it will be difficult to redeem the failures. It is therefore, imperative to bring about stringent laws to punish the offenders indulging in corruption without any compassion, it added.
Meanwhile, the ACCI also pointed out that corruption has been deeply rooted and sown in the Naga society starting from tribalism which has brought about differences and discriminations among the different tribes of Nagaland. “Unless this is uprooted from now it will have far reaching consequences among the different tribes of Nagaland and the chasm created will be worse than the caste system which will be difficult to eradicate in the future,” it added.
The North-East Legal Cell, Anti Corruption Council of India (ACCI) is committed to expose corruption by resorting to RTI and file PIL to eradicate the menace of corruption in the State, it added.
