Dimapur, Nov. 20 (EMN): The Toluvi Village Council (TVC) in Dimapur district on Tuesday denounced what it called encroachment into the land of the Nagaland Mechanised Bricks Company Ltd. (NMBC) ‘by certain groups of outsiders and a threat issued to a bona fide member of Toluvi village for vocally objecting to the illegal encroachment of Toluvi village land.’
The council issued a press release on Tuesday. It informed that a general public meeting was conducted on Nov. 17 to discuss the issue. During the meeting, the community resolved to set up a ‘village land protection committee’ for Toluvi to safeguard the village’s land ‘from any forceful encroachment from outsiders.’ Seven members were appointed to the committee.
‘The committee has been delegated with the power and authority to take necessary steps to deal with the issue and encroachment by outsiders at NMBC, in consultation with village council and head GB,’ the press release stated.
The organisation stated that the committee shall write to the deputy commissioner of Dimapur district for immediate cancellation of the ‘illegal patta’ issued to individuals or outsiders within the 140 “bighas” of land, which Toluvi village had ‘given to the Industry department for setting up of Nagaland Mechanised Bricks Company’ and “which rightly belongs to Toluvi village in the event the department fails to honour the terms and conditions of the agreement of transfer.”
The council also took strong note that on Nov. 7 around 8:30 pm, a member of Toluvi village was threatened over the phone of dire consequences by a certain individual for an eviction drive that was stated to have been carried out by the village’s authority against the alleged encroachers.
“Towards this, the meting resolved that the village authority and the general public of Toluvi village shall hold those encroachers and individuals who are illegally venturing into the jurisdiction of Toluvi village, responsible for any untoward incident against any bona fide member of Toluvi village,” the press release stated.
Saying that the Toluvi village authority and the public are firm on their resolve to safeguard and protect the village land under any circumstances, the council warned that “those encroachers” who are constructing house/s within the said Toluvi village jurisdiction shall be doing so at their own risk and that “Toluvi Village Authority and the public shall not be responsible for any consequences.” This was stated in a press release issued
