Mokokchung, January 3 (MTNews): In the backdrop of the ongoing land dispute between Southern Angami Public Organization (SAPO) and the Mao Council, the Nagaland Tribes Council have stated that although the land dispute is between two Naga communities, one community belongs to Nagaland state and the other belongs to Manipur state and that, this being the case, the dispute falls within the ambit of inter-state boundary issue.
NTC further stated in a press release on Tuesday that border problems are that of “Constitutional and political issue which needs to be addressed through Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution of India where the chief arbiter is the GoI.”
It also said that it was high time that the state government of Nagaland seized the legal authority into confidence based on the traditional and ancestral land, responsively and conscientiously took up the inter-state boundary and strive to settle the issue with the Manipur state government through the arbitration of GoI.
“Nagaland is a State and there cannot be any State or Country without any demarcated boundary… Although the aspiration of Naga integration is respected at all times, the people of Nagaland cannot sacrifice any area of land that belonged to their communities ancestrally, traditionally and historically,” NTC said.
The NTC further urged the State government of Nagaland “to no longer timidly take shelter behind NGO(s) but accord topmost importance of the land dispute issue in question, whole heartedly uphold the claims of SAPO in Kezoltsa and Dzükou areas and practically protect it from any form of encroachment from the neighbouring state.”
“ If Nagaland government cannot similarly setup Nagaland Armed Police post in the disputed areas in order to protect the citizens of the SAPO people of Nagaland it must strappingly raise upon the counterpart Manipur state government to immediately withdraw the already established Armed Police post in the area so that one sided harassment is not committed to the innocent visitors in the areas,” NTC added.
Also expressing concern over frequent recurrence of land disputes of serious nature between SAPO of Nagaland and Mao Council of Manipur since 2000, NTC said that, over the years, attempts have been made by the concerned Tribal Bodies and NGOs to resolve the land dispute problems so as to restore the age old peaceful atmosphere that existed between SAPO and Mao Council.
“Clarification and rejections of NGO’s verdict on the given issue in the press media have also surfaced which shows that the resentments of the land dispute are yet to be fully addressed. The eruption of the land disputes at times compels SAPO to take up democratic process to the extent of extreme steps of restricting movement of people demanding restoration of their ancestral land,” NTC added.
“The NTC at the same time expresses anguish on the silence and inaction of the Nagaland state government on this major boundary issue between SAPO and Mao Council involving two sisterly states of Nagaland and Manipur,” NTC further said.
It added, “While the Manipur state government has gone to the extent of establishing an outpost of Armed Police in the area to monitor and prohibit the movement of the people of SAPO, the Nagaland state government seemingly is yet to genuinely ponder on the issue in question not enforcing any protective mechanism for safety and security of its own citizens but unreservedly allows the counterpart Manipur state government to exercise its one sided administrative authority. Rather, the Nagaland state government so far has only shifted all its responsibilities to the NGOs without any administrative authority.”