Morung Express news
Kohima | January 28
The Manipur Government is yet to withdraw machineries and personnel deployed around Dzükou Valley even after the Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation (TPO) and Board of Arbitrators (BOA) had written to its Chief Minister two weeks ago.
After a site inspection and drone survey was carried out on January 27 and 28, TPO officials said “the Manipur government is not very prompt on the appeal nor has given any response to the letter.”
Two weeks earlier, the TPO and BOA in a letter addressed to the Manipur Chief Minister called for “cessation of activities around Kezoltsa/Kozürü/ Kazing and Dzükou area.” It also appealed to the Manipur Government to “stop all activities involving road cutting and jungle clearance and to withdraw all machineries and personnel from the area.”
While speaking to The Morung Express, TPO President, Timikha Koza claimed that the Manipur government, earlier, on the pretext of dousing the fire cleared the old existing road and deployed personnel and machineries in the disputed area claimed by Southern Angami and Maram.
“If those things are continued, instead of pursuing for resolution of the case, we will all the time be requesting for cessation of activities,” he added.
The claim over the thick forest Kezoltsa, as named in Angami; Kozürü in Mao and Kazing in Maram and some part of the Dzükou valley has become a protracted dispute. As such, the TPO decided to take the issue for resolution and a court was constituted comprising of two members from each tribe in 2016 and was christened the ‘Board of Arbitrators (BOA).’
In the standing resolution as of November 28, 2017, all the contending parties signed an ‘Arbitration Undertaking’ “whereby all parties reposed faith on the Tenyimi customary process of adjudication and therefore resolved that while judgment was pending, no physical activities in the disputed areas shall be allowed.”
TPO officials informed that along with the BOA, it will further discuss on how to proceed. It was informed that sessions will be held in the next three days to discuss the issue.
The TPO is a confederation of ten Naga tribes formed on the basis of “common ancestral lineage and practices.” The Naga tribes include Mao, Poumai, Thangal, Maram, Inpui, Angami, Chakhesang, Rengma, Pochury and Zeliangrong.
