Centre asks state to resolve pending issues within fortnight; Patton says ENPO to be consulted
The Nagaland government will hold a cabinet-level meeting on Wednesday, July 30, to deliberate on the Centre’s directive to resolve pending issues related to the proposed creation of the Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT), Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton said on Tuesday.
“We have a cabinet meeting tomorrow, and we will discuss the matter there. We shall also discuss with the ENPO leaders tomorrow,” Patton told reporters on the sidelines of an official program in Kohima, according to PTI.
The development follows the third meeting of the Tripartite High-Level Committee held in New Delhi on July 23, which included representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Nagaland government, and the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO). The ENPO, the apex body representing eight tribes across six eastern districts — Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, and Shamator — has been pressing for a separate state since 2010, citing decades of neglect and developmental disparity.
In a statement issued on July 25, ENPO had said that several contentious matters were resolved during the Delhi meeting, with only a few pending issues left from the Nagaland government’s side. The Centre has reportedly directed the state to resolve those within a fortnight.
(With inputs from PTI)