Dimapur, January 30 (MTNews): In a significant political development ahead of the impending Assembly polls in the state, the former chief minister of Nagaland and former governor of Maharashtra, SC Jamir said that the eastern areas of Nagaland requires special attention for development in the areas such as road communication, education and healthcare system.
Jamir, while talking to ANI on Sunday at his residence in Dimapur said that the eastern areas have remained unadministered for a very long time and that several issues need attention.
“The representatives of the then Tuensang Frontier Division and then Naga Hills of Assam or the 16 tribes of Nagaland, who thought of having a separate state of its own, decided on the formation of Nagaland,” Jamir said, adding, “For a long time, the eastern areas were not administered. There are numerous issues with development, infrastructure, and administration in these regions. The British-administrated districts of Mokokchung and Kohima have seen some progress, particularly in literacy, but the Tuensang Frontier Division, which is now known as ENPO, has remained isolated from the rest of the country.”
The veteran leader also pointed out that the eastern Nagaland is going to be important in the coming days, when the Look East Policy or Act East Policy is fully matured. He, therefore, emphasized on the need to fasten the speed of development in these areas.
Dr Jamir also held the Nagaland government responsible for not paying enough attention to the matter, adding that the matter would have been best handled if the state government had taken up the real problem of the ENPO during the past five or six year tenure.
He also said that the Eastern Nagaland issue should have been dealt with by the State Government itself and not the Center because it is an ‘internal issue’.