CNTC asks Dimapur Police to ease vehicle document checks

DIMAPUR – The Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) has asked the Commissioner of Police, Dimapur, to temporarily relax intensive routine vehicle document checks from November 11, 2026 to January 31, 2027, saying the city will see heavy travel during Nagaland’s wedding and festive season.

The appeal, made in a statement from the council’s media cell seen by Nagaland.News, comes as the Dimapur Police Commissionerate’s extended deadline for vehicle owners to regularise their papers expires on November 11. The Morung Express first reported the appeal on November 10.

Why CNTC wants vehicle document checks eased

The council said it had taken note of complaints from the public about delays and inconvenience caused by the ongoing verification drives. It said it fully accepts the need for road safety, proper documentation and traffic enforcement, but argued that the convenience of ordinary commuters also deserves “due consideration”.

According to the statement, the coming weeks overlap with the peak wedding season in Nagaland, which runs well into January, as well as travel linked to the Hornbill Festival from December 1 to 10, Christmas and New Year. Dimapur, home to the state’s main railway station and airport, is the usual entry point for visitors heading to the festival at Kisama near Kohima.

CNTC said many people from other districts and neighbouring states will travel to and through Dimapur in this period for weddings, family visits and social events. Intensive checks, it said, could cause “unnecessary delays”, especially for families travelling with children and elderly relatives.

Serious traffic offences not covered by the appeal

The council stressed that its request “is not intended to undermine law enforcement or compromise road safety”. Police action against genuine traffic violations, dangerous driving, overloading and other serious offences could continue as required, it said, adding that it was only seeking “a considerate and balanced approach”.

CNTC also offered to provide volunteers, if needed, to help with public awareness and keep traffic moving smoothly in coordination with the authorities. The statement was signed by Vikato I Chishi, Convenor of the CNTC Media Cell. It did not carry a date.

The CNTC was launched in March 2016 as a common platform of the Ao, Lotha and Sumi tribes.

How the Dimapur vehicle document drive began

The Dimapur Police Commissionerate opened a 30-day compliance window on September 11, asking owners and drivers to update their papers under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Police said at the time that the window was not a relaxation of the law and that enforcement against traffic offences would continue.

That notice listed several focus areas for Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland. They included vehicles registered in other states but kept in Nagaland for more than 12 months, juvenile driving, unrecorded transfers of ownership, and unauthorised flashing or strobe lights on private vehicles.

On October 7, the Naga Council Dimapur sought more time and extra documentation centres, citing long queues on the road to the transport office at Purana Bazar. Two days later, police extended the deadline by 30 days to November 11. The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union later urged the state government to hold off on punitive measures until testing and documentation facilities were in place.

What is not yet known

There was no public response from the Commissioner of Police, Dimapur, to the CNTC appeal at the time of writing. It is also not clear whether police plan to step up checks now that the extended window has closed, or whether any fresh order on enforcement during the festive season will be issued.

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