Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 15 (EMN): Governor PB Acharya has reiterated his appeal to all the different Naga political groups including the NSCN (K) to come to the negotiating table with the government of India.
The governor’s statement comes in the backdrop of the demise of veteran Naga separatist, NSCN (K) chairman SS Khaplang who died on June 9.
Addressing a press meet at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday, Acharya said as governor of the state, he aspires for peace in the state and he felt that the time is right for all groups to come to the negotiating table, accepting the ‘Indian Constitution’. He made it clear that so long as there is violence, there cannot be peace talks. Towards this, he appealed to the groups particularly the NSCN (K) to enter into ceasefire agreement with the government of India. Khaplang’s NSCN (K) had reneged from a 14-years-long ceasefire with the government of India in March 2015 and has been declared as a banned outfit by the latter since then.Meanwhile, governor Acharya also shared his concerns over some social injustices such as, people who are eligible to avail various welfare schemes not being aware of the benefits that are there. He pointed out that there are many things that citizens can benefit from but beneficiaries do not know what those benefits are. “Our deficient and defaults have created the present situation,” he lamented, and underscored that educated people must try to teach and inform the less privileged.
Acknowledging the important role newspapers play in the society, the governor suggested that they highlight more of the areas that hunger for development.
On the road conditions in the state, particularly the National Highway stretch between Kohima and Dimapur which has been riddled by landslides ever since the onset of monsoon, the governor said the concern was being taken note of and a coordination meeting was scheduled for June 19 between officials of the National Highway Authority of India officials, BRO and the contractors.
