Kohima: The Nagaland Municipal Affairs Department has ordered all municipal and town councils in the state to immediately stop collecting specific taxes and fees — including tolls and urban utility charges — in an order issued on February 23, 2026. The directive cites earlier Home Department and Municipal Affairs notifications and a September 25, 2025 letter that mandated the closure of check gates and prohibited Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from levying fees on goods covered by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
The department said the order responds to multiple complaints that the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC), East Dimapur Town Council (EDTC) and Zunheboto Town Council were continuing to collect such charges despite previous government instructions. Acting under Section 81 of the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, officials commanded an immediate halt to collections including tolls on goods, empty-vehicle entry fees and other vehicle entry charges.
The order makes clear that any power to impose taxes or fees on items listed under Section 124 of the Act requires prior government approval — approval that has not been granted in these cases. It therefore directs all municipal and town councils to cease these levies with immediate effect.
Officials have also instructed that any structures erected to collect these fees — check gates, toll booths or similar installations — must be dismantled or removed immediately and no later than March 6, 2026. The removal deadline aims to ensure rapid compliance and to reopen affected roadways to unimpeded movement of goods and vehicles.
Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur Dr. Tinojongshi Chang separately directed the DMC and EDTC to enforce the closure of unauthorised check gates and toll gates. He emphasised that only duly approved inter‑state gates may remain operational and that any gates set up by departments, municipal bodies, organisations, groups or private individuals without Home Department approval must be removed at once.
The move affects local councils that had been collecting user and entry fees and underscores the state government’s position that taxation of goods covered by GST falls outside the remit of ULBs unless explicitly sanctioned. Traders, transporters and residents in Dimapur and other towns will be directly affected while councils adjust operations to comply with the order.
The Municipal Affairs Department’s instruction is intended to reinforce earlier directives and to bring all local bodies into line with the Nagaland Municipal Act and central GST provisions, preventing duplicate or unauthorised levies that disrupt commerce and public movement.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/nagaland/nagaland-govt-orders-immediate-halt-to-unauthorized-toll-fee-collection-by-municipal-bodies/42958/
Category: Nagaland,Nagaland Municipal Affairs Department,Urban Local Bodies
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Publish Date: 2026-02-24 14:29:00
