EMN
Dimapur, May 7
Community authorities of Purana Bazar village council, in Dimapur, have said that the area’s local administrators will strictly enforce the directives of the Dimapur district administration to make Schedule Tribe / Indigenous Inhabitant certification accountable and accurate. The district authorities had noted recently that certification given by local leaders in regard to Schedule Tribe / Indigenous Inhabitant certification were not ‘sound’ and were dubious. The anomalies were especially in regard to non-Naga persons, non-Naga persons using Naga identities, and non-Naga children adopted by Naga parents and so on.
Purana Bazar village council convened a meeting of community leaders in the village’s council hall on May 6, during which ‘gaon bura’ (village runners, head men) and colony chairmen of the area discussed the issue of certification. The council decided to strictly implement the district administration’s order to properly authenticate applicants who seek Schedule Tribe/Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates.
Chairman of the council, N Hozheto Achumi, informed on Thursday that the meeting ‘thoroughly discussed’ the directives of the administration and resolved that the gaon bura and unit chairmen would “mandatorily follow the guidelines of the administration”.
The Purana Bazaar Village Council lauded the efforts of Deputy Commissioner Kesonyu Yhome for taking a ‘bold decision’ to curb anomalies involved in the process of obtaining various certificates including Indigenous Inhabitant certificates.
“The council felt that the process of obtaining various certificates should have been streamlined since long time back. The council also appealed to all right thinking citizens to cooperate towards successful implementation of the new guidelines,” the council said.
The council also urged the law-enforcing agencies to “take notice of the prevailing situation and read the law with all seriousness and enforce the laws to realize its objectives and give benefits to the rightful citizens particularly, referring to issuance of certificates of ST/Indigenous Inhabitant certificates”.
In another matter, the council has acknowledged the administration for ‘total banning of mining of sand gravel and boulders in Dhansiri and Chathe River, stating that it would benefit the people in general’.
