The Nagaland government is moving to acquire 50 acres at Xukiye village in Niuland district for a new Integrated Zonal Waste Processing Centre (IZWPC) that will serve Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland. The chief minister, who holds the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs portfolio, said the land acquisition process was expected to be completed soon. The proposal was outlined in a written reply to a legislative question on the status of the Dimapur District Municipal dumping area and the proposed new site. The state government has approved acquisition of the site through the State Land Acquisition Authority (SLAA). The deputy commissioner of Niuland, accompanied by a multi department team, inspected the proposed site on August 27 as part of the process. Once established, the centre is intended to replace the Dimapur Municipal Council dumpsite at Sunrise colony, Burma Camp, and to cater for the waste management needs of the DMC, East Dimapur Town Council, Chümoukedima Town Council and Niuland Town Council as well as surrounding rural settlements. The existing Dimapur Municipal Council dumping area at Sunrise colony remains subject to proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), East Zone Bench, Kolkata, following a case brought by colony residents. In its three February 2023 order in Original Application No. 68/2022/EZ the NGT issued 14 directives to the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department and DMC. According to the chief minister, 11 of the directives have been complied with while three remain pending; these relate to identifying and acquiring an alternative site, installing a weighbridge and establishing an Effluent Treatment Plant for leachate treatment. The NGT had set 31 January 2024 as the deadline for shifting to a new dumpsite, yet the Burma Camp site remains operational with bioremediation and biomining activities under way. The chief minister said the acquisition will proceed in accordance with applicable Solid Waste Management Rules and environmental clearance requirements. The process of acquiring the new site is under way through the SLAA and officials hope to complete it at the earliest to address longstanding concerns over urban waste disposal.