Governor asks Nagaland govt to implement women reservation

Kohima, Aug 16 (PTI) Nagaland Governor P B Acharya todayasked the state government to implement the 33 per centreservation for women in urban local bodies and Lokayukta. "I have asked Chief Minister T R Zeliang to establishLokayukta so that corrupt officials can be checked and alsomake the functioning of the government transparent," he saidduring an interaction with media persons at Raj Bhavan here. He said constitutional checks and counter checks will runthe government as they make the state machinery accountable topeople. On the recent Cabinet decision to conduct polls to urbanlocal bodies with 33 per cent women reservation, he said thiswas mandatory and constitutional and the state government hasalready amended the Nagaland Municipal Act. Stating that the women group of the state had gone to thecourt demanding implementation of 33 per cent womenreservation in urban local bodies and the case is pending inSupreme Court, Acharya said the state government has decidedto implement women reservation but some tribal organisationwere against it. The Governor said he has asked the state government toconvince these people and conduct elections to the urban localbodies by implementing women reservation. On the Naga peace talks, the Governor expressed hope that"something concrete will come out in near future" withoutgiving any time frame. He quoted the Centre’s interlocutor R N Ravi and NSCN(IM)general secretary Th Muivah stating that purposeful talks weregoing on and an agreement was in sight. The Governor therefore appealed to all the Nagaunderground groups to join the peace talks so that there won’tbe any dissension and it will be unanimous, and the state canmarch forward when ‘real peace; was achieved. On the law and order front, Acharya said the governmenthas to win the confidence of the people. He regretted that the enquiry reports of March, 2015lynching of a rape accused and killing of a businesswoman inDecember, have not been made public till date and requestedthe government to appoint a new probe team. On the development activities, the Governor lamented thatmajor projects like medical college in Kohima and railwayconnection were being stalled as some of the landownersrejected the compensation system. "Any injustice should be sorted out. A public projectshould not suffer because of individual greed," he said andcalled upon the people to think of wilful contribution in caseof a public cause. PTI NBS NNSRY