Nirendra Dev
New Delhi/Kohima
The locals-outsiders debate — a long lasting feature in northeast and also in Nagaland – has perhaps
taken a new twist and somewhat ugly turn.
The Senior Citizens’ Association of Nagaland (SCAN) has alleged that the establishment of
the state Forest Department within the Intangki National Park has been taken over and was under complete
control of the NSCN (IM).
The association members revealed this to media persons at a press conference in Kohima on Tuesday
on the backdrop of a ‘vague evasive’ RTI response and in consequence to a hearing in the Court of the State
Chief Information Commissioner held with representatives of the Forest Department and the SCAN earlier on
September 7, 2022.
The SCAN had raised ten questions in the RTI and apart from other general issues there were four pointed
questions in relation to the subject.
K K Sema, SCAN spokesman, said on the RTI query as to why the Forest Department’s Staff on duty for the
protection of Intangki Reserved Forest have been issued vacation notice from their quarters built specifically for
the Department of Forest, the official response was “No such vacation order to the Intangki Reserved Forest Staff was received.”
The issue could lead to tribal clashes in the future as the NSCN-IM is dominated by Tangkhuls whose native
district is Ukhrul in Manipur.
The issue of ‘Naga outsiders’ interfering in the affairs of Nagaland had figured earlier too.
However, in the course of being further questioned in the Court as to whether it was a fact that the staff quarters of the Forest Department were now under physical occupation by the NSCN (IM), the Forest Department confirmed it to be a fact.
It is now therefore an established and confirmed fact that NSCN (IM) has taken over the full control of the Forest Department’s Intangki establishment, said Sema.
He said that asked to provide photo copies of the official vacation notice served to the Forest Department by the State Government directing them to vacate the premises of the quarters allotted to the staff stationed at Intangki Reserved Forest, the official response was “No such official vacation notice served by the State Government.”
He quoted the CIC court proceeding saying the PIO of Director, Intangki National Park, Dimapur, Nagaland, T Aochuba had stated that “the above developments mentioned by the applicants (now complainants) happened without the knowledge of the Forest Department and the matter was intimated to the Government, however, after the Ceasefire between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India, it became apparent that the Government had some plan which is unknown”.
We need to clearly understand that the final solution must be fair and square for all Nagas no matter where they are”.
The SCAN stated that in the absence of sovereignty and integration let the Naga brothers in Manipur and Arunachal
Pradesh get their share of privileges for their self-dependence through their Autonomous Regional Territorial Council.
The leaders said the Naga people of Nagaland State will be happy for them but in the same breath it “needs to
be said loud and clear that the people of Nagaland State must also have the same uncontaminated privileges without the interference of other brothers from beyond the present boundary of the State of Nagaland”.
The State of Nagaland cannot whimsically be converted into make-believe “Naga Nation” without integration and sovereignty, for all Nagas from everywhere to share equal rights with the Nagas of Nagaland while enjoying their exclusive privileges in their own State(s), the SCAN said.
