Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Nagaland, S Supongmeren Jamir, on Tuesday raised a series of sharp concerns in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, drawing attention to what he described as the chronic neglect of the North Eastern region in infrastructure and policy development.
In his written submission, Jamir pointed out that despite the Northeast sharing extensive international borders with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China, and despite the Union Government’s stated commitment to the “Act East Policy”, the region continues to “lag behind the rest of the country across key infrastructure indices.”
“These include road, rail, and air connectivity; electricity; health services; telecommunications and IT infrastructure; and access to quality education, particularly in medical, engineering, and higher education sectors,” he stated, adding that the gap is even more stark in rural areas.
Jamir further observed that even Defence and paramilitary forces are “facing logistical and connectivity challenges” in the region, hampering their ability to effectively secure international borders.
Citing a specific instance from Nagaland, the MP highlighted the poor condition of the Longwa International Trade Center along the Indo-Myanmar border. “While two-wheelers can easily access the centre from the Myanmarese side, access from the Indian side remains barely accessible due to poor road infrastructure,” he pointed out.
He went on to criticize the Government’s contradictory stance, stating that “a forward-looking Act East Policy on paper” is being paired with “a defensive and dismissive attitude” in practice.
Questioning the Government’s sincerity, Jamir said, “Why is the region so easily labelled ‘disturbed’ or insurgency-affected, yet the two hard-won peace accords signed with Naga National Groups remain unimplemented?”
Referring to the two long-pending peace accords, he asked what “solution was delivered to the people of Nagaland”, when the accords were “touted with much fanfare as the long-cherished final political settlement” but have yet to be implemented “despite the passage of so many years.”
Jamir also questioned the continued imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) across large parts of the region, saying this “belies the Government’s rhetoric of peace and progress.”
Calling for a more tailored approach to governance in the region, the Nagaland MP said there is “urgent need to decentralize the planning process,” and emphasized that “only through inclusive and region-specific policy frameworks can the Government’s development vision for the North East succeed.”
He added with a strong message to the Centre: “It is high time for the Government of India to move beyond optics and adopt a solution-centric development approach that addresses the unique realities of the region, rather than indulging in mere posturing or headline-driven slogans.”
The statement was released by the Communications Department of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee.
