EMN
Dimapur, June 23
The United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) has suggested to the state government of Nagaland to cease the lip service and start taking actual, pragmatic, and ‘appropriate’ steps to resolve the border boundary issue with Assam. The organization issued a press release on Monday demanding action and not words, to resolving the issue.
The UNTABA is appreciative of new initiatives to achieve urbanization and industrialization of the state and its border areas as stated by the government for “faster growth of industrialization and urbanization in Nagaland, and to achieve faster growth and development of the State’s economy, and to generate more employment opportunities for the youth…” However, the organization has sought actual measures. “Initiate pragmatic and appropriate steps to resolve the boundary dispute between Assam and Nagaland based on the historical perspective of the traditional Naga lands that were either transferred to Assam during the British Imperial period or are being arbitrarily occupied by Assam Government and its people before bringing about any economic developmental programs in these ‘foothill areas’ in particular,” the press release stated in one length.
On this issue, the organization stated, the people of Nagaland can no longer await the arbitration of the Supreme Court of India for so long since the issue may never be settled by the Supreme Court’s Judgments alone. “…terming the issue as being ‘subjudiced’ for so long, has unwittingly allowed an arbitrary power to the Government of Assam for all these years in spite of many agreements.”
The organization has also sought public initiatives for ‘threadbare discussions’ on the issue of the Naga peoples’ land holding and tenure system vis-à-vis the constitutional provisions and border dispute between Assam and Nagaland in particular. This should be prior to enacting ‘Special Development Zones’ that may be undertaken in the foot hill areas by the government, the UNTABA stated.
According to the organization, the foothill areas stretching from Tizit in Mon district in the north to Khelma in Peren district in the south “falls within the age old boundary dispute” between Assam and Nagaland. There, “thousands of square Kilometers of Naga peoples’ land lies outside the present unaccepted ‘constitutional boundary’ of Nagaland under which areas, the Assam Government is arbitrarily opening townships with illegal immigrants, leasing out hundreds of tea estates completely disregarding the ‘Interim Agreements of 1972 and 1979’ in particular and most of the areas presently inhabited by Naga people are being categorized as ‘Disturbed Area Belt’ denying even the basic and essential services to our people to cite few examples.”
The UNTABA stated that the rights of the Naga peoples’ ownership of their traditional land holding and tenure system are enshrined in the Constitution of India through Article 371A. It was also incorporated based on the Memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929 by the Naga people, the Nine Point or Hydari Ali Agreement of 1947 and finally on 16 Point Agreement, the basis of Nagaland Statehood which safeguards the rights of the Naga people over the ownership of land and its resources.
“Therefore, to turn the Naga peoples’ land holding system into ‘Cadastral’ system shall become purely unconstitutional disregarding the basic rights of the Naga people. No power on earth including the Government that can arbitrarily take away any portion of land for any purposes, leave aside transfer of land to non-Nagas,” the UNTABA stated.
To conduct cadastral survey on specified area for registration and issuance of “Patta” to the Naga tribal land owners and to further deny the right to access to the land owners for developmental activities is nothing but shows a whimsical plan that completely negate the very right of the Naga people over its land and its resources, the organization stated.
