The proposed Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), formalised through a tripartite agreement earlier this week, is expected to function as a 10-year interim administrative mechanism under Article 371(A) of the Constitution, Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) president A Chingmak Chang said on Saturday, positioning the arrangement as a transitional political step rather than a final settlement.
Speaking after the February 5 Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Centre, the Nagaland government and ENPO, Chang said the authority represents what he described as a “unique and special arrangement” initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, even as he maintained that the demand for separate statehood remains unchanged.
The clarification comes amid growing public attention on how the proposed authority will operate within Nagaland’s existing constitutional and administrative framework. According to Chang, the interim structure is expected to function with its own administrative setup similar to a mini-secretariat headed by a principal secretary or additional chief secretary, while the interim setup would be constituted by the governor in consultation with the ENPO.
He said the authority would enable direct developmental and financial engagement with the Ministry of Home Affairs while remaining within the territorial and political framework of Nagaland. “We are not separating from Nagaland – we remain a part of Nagaland,” Chang said, emphasising continuity within the State’s existing boundaries.
Public mobilisation following the signing of the agreement was visible in Dimapur, where civil society bodies representing eastern Nagaland communities organised a civic reception and prayer program for the ENPO delegation. Large crowds received the leaders at Dimapur Airport and later gathered at Konyak Paan, reflecting the emotional significance attached to the decades-long political movement.
While recounting the prolonged struggle for political recognition, Chang described the FNTA as a “people’s movement” and likened the agreement to the birth of a “baby boy,” calling on eastern Nagaland’s eight tribes to remain united in nurturing the process.