Nagaland has long witnessed a quiet yet pervasive form of “privatization”, predating India’s official embrace of liberalized economic reforms. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in Dimapur, where government-owned lands were steadily and systematically transferred into private hands over past decades. This process unfolded without legislative fanfare, quietly eroding the public land bank and leaving lasting consequences on urban infrastructure and governance. Dimapur presents a stark picture- nearly all government lands have been entirely privatized, with the process driven not by open policy decisions but allegedly through internal collusions. A culture of encroachment took root, facilitated by insiders who either acted as proxies or directly abetted claimants. This unspoken alliance between staff and encroachers undermined institutional safeguards, making land meant for public purposes an easy target. A former medical minister once publicly condemned such practices, particularly drawing attention to the encroachment on land belonging to the District Hospital Dimapur (DHD). He pointedly questioned whether there remained any space in Nagaland immune to illegal occupation if even land allocated for the treatment of the sick could be so brazenly seized. The minister, in his remarks, pledged to take firm action against government staff and officials allegedly involved in the misappropriation of public property. However, his acknowledgment also carried a note of resignation, hinting at the futility of expecting genuine enforcement without the requisite political will. This ambivalence has left a vacuum that continues to be exploited. The unchecked encroachment has not only reshaped land ownership in Dimapur but has also compounded environmental and civic problems. Drainage systems in public areas have vanished beneath encroachments, aggravating urban flooding-evident during recent spells of heavy rainfall. These incidents have sparked public outrage but little tangible administrative response. Central to the problem is the role of district authorities, who are entrusted with protecting government land yet appear complicit through inaction or collusion. The issuance of pattas based on questionable No Objection Certificates points to a breakdown in due process. Formerly, the land revenue branch within administrative offices routinely generated pattas for “vacant lands”-a category that, tellingly, included gardens and open spaces within official quarters. These manipulations helped claimants legitimize occupation, while the state continued to hemorrhage valuable property. Such administrative apathy has left the government with few avenues to reclaim public land for developmental initiatives. The state’s diminished capacity to remove illegal occupants from key sites has directly obstructed infrastructure expansion projects intended to serve the broader public. Recent media reports on hurdles against expansion of Dimapur airport as well as Dimapur Railway Station highlight the failure of the government in protecting public lands meant for economic progress. A vivid symbol of this decline is the once-sprawling Rangapahar Reserved Forest, which has shrunk from over 20,000 acres to scarcely 100, its future still under threat from encroachments. What was once poised to be a legacy of ecological wealth has dwindled into a mere echo of its former self-a stark reminder of how policy neglect and self-interest have eroded both public assets and public trust.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025