Some of those who voted YES had this to say:
• Yes it seems like Nagaland government is at least not letting Assam government have their way completely. But at the same time it is not doing anything that is pro-active. It is only waiting for an incident to happen and then reacting to the situation. In the long run such an approach will be detrimental for Nagas.
• Yes it seems like Nagaland government is at least not letting Assam government have their way completely. But at the same time it is not doing anything that is pro-active. It is only waiting for an incident to happen and then reacting to the situation. In the long run such an approach will be detrimental for Nagas.
• Yes, I am sure that the Nagaland state government has some concern for the border situation. But I think they are lacking in strategy. They don’t have proper planning on how to deal with the situation.
• Yes, Nagaland n Assam border issue some of the villages r struggling so nagaland govt take serious to safe our land n people specially border belt area.
• Nagaland government needs to do much more than what it is doing. Just flexing muscle power will not help solve the problem. In many places the pillars that had been put up demarcating the Assam-Nagaland boundary has been violated with the Assam government coming way beyond the pillars. Just immediately after the Nagaland gate in Dimapur in Golaghat Road the Assam Police have set up camp. Like this the Assam government have set up many physical structures beyond its boundary towards Nagaland. So as far as action is concerned, the Assam government is far more advanced. They are investing crores of money for expanding its boundary into Nagaland, while our dear Nagaland government is only spending money for itself, not for the people. At this rate, Nagaland will be reduced to a district in Assam.
Some of those who voted NO had this to say:
• Most of us Nagas know where the Naga areas are, but in solving problems we require more than oral testimony and narrations. We require all these testimonies and maps to be documented. In this the Nagaland state government with all its resources has failed miserably to even take one small step in documenting all these aspects. So without this basic preparation how can anyone claim that the Nagaland government is sincere in protecting the land of the Nagas.
• No, This should have been already addressed in the early sixties.
• No, leaders alsi like me.
• No, not at all, it is unfortunate that as far the border issue between Nagaland -Assam is concern, our Government seems to be not giving enough attention. Specially with reference to the NEUTRAL Force in the so called DABs, how do we expect them to be neutral when they are under the Command of Assam Government? Our law makers and Government should clarify strongly on this issue if it is at all true.
• Nagaland Govt addressing Assam-Nagaland border issue?? Dont joke Mex. Its doing nothing at all.
• Not satisfactory. The inefficiency and insincerity on the part of our elected members up there in Delhi and at home in Nagaland (over the decades) is being reflected again and again in the form of this perennial border dispute with Assam. No doubt about it that there are certain factors that the state government need to consider while dealing with this issue because Assam is taking advantage of her geographical location and placing the Nagas in a state of suspended animation in this dispute. It appears that this issue can never be settled unless it is resolved on the basis of give and take policy from both the sides. The legitimate rights of certain section of the people living along the border areas may have to be sacrificed for the sake of permanent peace because Assam government is not respecting the historical documents relating to the border demarcation between the two states. For instance, the whole of NE, including Assam, may one day come under the mercy of the Bodos once Bodoland is created as an autonomous state. Likewise, we are already in that given situation now because Assam government knows our Achilles heel and therefore taking undue advantage on us by creating a buffer zone between us with illegal immigrants to reap double benefits. Our problem is not with the (original) native people of Assam but with these people coming from elsewhere.
• No.. No no..., nagaland govt. Must 2 sumting ... Cz assam govt. Has crossd its limit.., evythng and evryone has beyond its limit.., bt tis donkeys .. Nvr undrstnd .., if nagalnd govt. R scard tan we can do..., cz tis is 2 much..
Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say:
• Why always blame our state government? Our border issues problem is not because of our state government but because of the dirty policy of Nehru and Congress party. Remember Nagas are not fools. Why Nehru, Congress Prime Minister divided all our Naga land. Some of our land has been given to Assam, Manipur, Arunachal and also to Burma.
• Where is the original land map of the erstwhile Naga Hills? Under whose patronage the border areas are flooding with the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants already now spilling over into the neighboring states while beginning to marginalize the indigenous populaces? How come our fellow Naga voters were prevented from exercising their franchise by barracking the road to where the polling party with its security personnel headed for their designated polling station? Etc, etc, etc. Yet the state government still seems to believe that it has something to write home!
• The real picture here is that, if the Nagaland government take a strong stand on this issues, then the Assam government together with the communal and tribal organisations will impose an economic blockade which will lead to high unnatural inflation affecting many Nagas irrespective of their socio-economic status. Since they know the infrastructural and economic constraints of our state, it provides them ample opportunity to take advantage of our weaknesses. Hence the government at the end of the day is handicapped and can only beg for a compromise. To conclude, for the state government to fulfill its duty, of protecting the rights and property of the Nagas and to safeguard the culture and resources of the Naga Community enshrined under Article 371 A, the government along with the various NPGs and Tribal Hoho's should work together in developing economic and infrastructural assets making the state independent of Assam (for example develop heavy air transport facilities and look more towards South East Asia for trade). So long as our government and the people are ignorant of this, our culture and life are at stake.
• Sadly, neither the Govt. of Assam nor the Govt. of India are serious about the contains of the Article 371 A.
• There is nothing to blame the government... Why are we grapping other lands deep inside Assam. Don't we think its enough what we have? We are so crazy for land.
• The tragedy was that when Nagaland was created in the early 1963, the inter- state boundary was not adequately drawn, the boundary supposed to be demarcated with all relevant border machineries for the newly carved out Nagaland state from the existing Assam state, was to be put into place but it was no addressed seriously. Ever since, there were also recorded allegations from Nagaland border side that some people from across the border descended in their ancestral paddy fields, farmlands and even forcibly grabbed their lands with the help of Assam armed police as well as neutral forces. There were also counter allegations that the Nagas from across the border encroached Assam's lands. The harsh reality is that multitude of non-locals have been systematically settling on the long stretch of Assam border over the years and their numbers keep increasing leaps and bounds. Frustratingly, the original people of Assam have little or no knowledge at all of what these non-locals have been doing in their state's border areas. The border problem with Assam since 1963 compelled the two states had to have Assam-Nagaland Interim Border Agreement in 1972. This "Interim Agreement" was meant to ease border tension, while trying to find long lasting solution to the border issue. The Agreement itself seems fairly fine, but sadly it was not implemented in toto. Rather it became a tool for the Assam Government to strengthen their state forces along the border, while Nagaland relegated to helpless position as they had to oblige to the terms of the agreement. It is evident that Assam has 40 plus Assam Armed Police posts set up all along the Assam-Nagaland border in violation of the Interim agreement, whereas there is reportedly Nagaland Armed Police post all along the border ware insignificant. As per the Agreement, the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) were to be placed under the neutral forces. Interestingly, there are placed again under the command of an IG of Assam Police. The Nagaland Government also with all wisdom temporarily allowed the Assam Forest Department for the management of the border reserve forests in the DAB. Today, the problem is more complicated because the people living in the border areas of Assam are mostly non-Assamese illegal immigrants. It is also known facts that some political parties are using these people as their vote bank putting the legitimate rights of the Nagas to the dust bin. Unfortunately, nobody exactly know what the subsequent Government of Nagaland have been doing all these years…allowing the poor hapless Naga Public residing on the so called artificially created DAB to fend by themselves… Therefore, the Government of Nagaland must take up these contentious issues seriously with the Assam counterpart along with the Union Government amending all existing agreements/commissions and make known to the people transparently.
