Decades of neglect

The recent strike by the Dimapur Municipal Council Employee Workers Union (DMCEWU) under the banner of ‘No Pay. No Work’ is not merely a demand for salaries; it is a symptom of a deeper fiscal and structural crisis. The union’s demands-clearance of three months of pending salaries, regular disbursement of EPF and gratuity, and proper staff deployment-underscore the council’s struggles to meet its basic obligations. The CEO of the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has acknowledged the salary delays, revealing a substantial backlog and admitting that the council operates without sanctioned posts or formal service rules. This lack of a clear administrative framework has led to an unsustainable situation. A primary cause of this crisis is the DMC’s revenue shortfall, which worsened significantly after a 2021-2022 government directive halted tax collection at entry gates. This policy effectively choked off a major source of income, pushing the self-sustaining body into a severe fiscal deficit. The municipality, however, must also contend with an internal issue: its bloated workforce. Despite having a sanctioned strength of only 260 posts, the DMC employs 436 people. This imbalance creates a situation of being overstaffed and underworked. Common staffing benchmarks for a city of Dimapur’s size, with a population between 1,00,000 and 2,00,000, suggest a need for around 200 staff members. The current staff count of 436 would be more appropriate for a city of 436,000 people. This disproportionate workforce is a legacy of rampant, unaccounted-for appointments over many decades. To achieve viability and sustainability, the Dimapur municipality needs a complete overhaul of its financial and administrative systems. The current situation demands an incisive strategy to both augment revenue and ensure accountability. The DMC must enhance its own revenue streams to lessen its dependence on government grants. This can be done by reforming property tax collection, which is a major source of revenue for most municipalities. A comprehensive survey of properties, the implementation of a modern slab-based tax system, and the use of technology like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can make tax collection more efficient. The DMC can also introduce and enforce user charges for various services. Although the state government is officially responsible for water supply, most residents at Dimapur rely on private sources. This does not preclude the DMC from charging for other services like waste management, sanitation and other services. The municipality can also better monetize its assets, such as municipal markets, by introducing online payment systems for collecting rent and fees. A master plan to build modern mini-markets could create new income streams. The unique landholding system under Article 371(A) requires careful navigation, but opportunities for revenue generation exist within this legal framework. Over whatever has been said, it is undeniably evident, that when the DMC employees struck work, Dimapur’s residents spent harrowing days having to bear with piles of stinking and rotting garbage that littered across the city. This demands a serious need to streamline garbage collection and disposal, which to all intents and purposes, is the primary responsibility of the DMC. On the other hand, people have to respond against littering so that the next time, they can demand ‘No Work. No Pay’ if DMC neglect its duty.