L N Konyak
Senior Citizen, N U V, Dimapur
The Govt of India by an order:
a) Notification dt. 11th Jan, 2008, the delimitation exercise basing on 2001 census in 4 NE states was postponed by the govt due to prevailing Law and Order problems in the region.
b) Superseding the above order of dt.11th Jan 2008, a fresh notification was issued on dt 28th Feb’ 2020, to resume the delimitation exercise in 4 NE states stating that law and order in the region is returning to normal and peaceful and the present delimitation commission under the chairmanship of Ranjana Prakash Desai a former Supreme Court Judge was setup to complete the delimitation exercise in the region including Nagaland which was left un-finished by previous commission.
c) However, recently Union Home Ministry has issued a notification dt. 1st July 2020, declaring the situation in Nagaland as dangerous and un-safe, and ordered for extension of “The Arm Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) for another 6(six) months wef, 30th June 2020 till December 2020, and declared the entire Nagaland State a disturbed area.
In this connection it is pertinent to mention that the Notification issued on dt 28th Feb’ 2020 was overruled by Home Ministry, vide order dt 1st July’ 2020 on the pretext of deteriorating law and order situation in Nagaland. The Home Ministry order is very clear; it stated that Law and Order situation in the State of Nagaland is dangerous and unsafe. Hence the proposed delimitation exercise in the State of Nagaland should be kept in abeyance till the situation in the State is back to normal, or rectify the Ministry order and withdraw the imposition of AFSPA Act from Nagaland before the proposed delimitation exercise begins in Nagaland. Law and order situation in the state should not be interpreted and used according to the convenience of the govt.
If at all govt so desires to impost delimitation exercise in the State of Nagaland, than under no circumstances the Rural Assembly seats where cent percent of population represent indigenous people of the state should be sacrificed at the cost those illegal and temporary migrant in the cities and urban townships in the guise of equal representation, rather the geographical areas should be given more important. Development is needed more in rural areas than that of urban areas as everyone is aware of. There the commission should apply deferent yardstick while assisting the population for rural and urban assembly seats in the state of Nagaland too as other states in India. For instance, the neighbouring state of Assam, under Jorhat town Municipal Corporation (urban) the total population is 10.91 lakh, with 5 (five) assembly seats, the average population per constituency comes to 2,18,200 (lakh), whereas under Sonari Municipal Council (rural), total population is 19,810 (nineteen thousand eight hundred ten) only with 1 (one) Assembly seat.
May I therefore request you to apply your wisdom and give Judgement in the interest of public service. Hope and pray that you being a Judge by profession and also as Chairman Delimitation Commission, do the needful as desired by public without compromise.
