Status of ULBs in Nagaland
Urbanisation pattern is largely concentrated to few towns of the State such as Dimapur and Kohima by virtue of being the commercial hub and administrative capital respectively. Most of the other towns are of meagre demographic size. The Third State Finance Commission in its report has pointed out that “Most of the ULBs in the State are quasi urban, cash-strapped and struggling to provide even basic services; unable to meet the increasing demands. Due to lack of resources, the development process in the ULBs has been severely constrained.” Urban Local Bodies in Nagaland are still in their nascent stage, navigating a complex landscape of institutional, technical, administrative and financial constraints.
For the past twenty years, the Statutory Towns had been administered by an Administrative Officer with a skeletal staff most of which drawn from the District Administration Office to assist in the functioning of the Urban Local Bodies in the absence of elected members. These ULBs till date have been surviving on Grant-in-Aid for all their Priority Developmental works as they are all revenue-deficit and hardly able to meet up with their establishment expenses. Most of the ULBs are unable to even pay the salaries of their conservancy staffs.