Dimapur, September 21 (MExN): The Western Sumi Hoho today recognized that the Intangki Reserved Forest belongs to the Naga people as a whole and that no tribe should claim the ownership of the forest.
The WSH stand on the Intangki Reserved Forest comes in the wake of the assurance given by Minister for Forest, Kheto in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on September 17, saying that the government will carry out eviction drive in the Intangki Reserved Forest as early as possible.
A press statement issued by the Western Sumi Hoho, Border Cell Secretary Bohoi K Yeptomi, while extending fullest cooperation to the state government in carrying out unbiased eviction drive in the Reserved Forest, said that the forest belongs to the Naga people as a whole.
“The Western Sumi Hoho extends our fullest co-operation to the Government in carrying out any eviction subject to the decision of the Government being unbiased and without favouring any particular tribe, as we acknowledge that the Intangki Reserved Forest belongs to the Naga people as a whole and hence no individuals or tribe should lay claim the ownership over the said land in question,” the WSH asserted.
The Western Sumi Hoho, in this regard, asserted their clear position that the Sumis of the Western Block are not encroachers and that they should not be viewed as such because they were “the sole authourity of the land and administration” since from the British time.
The WSH also cautioned the state government to carry out its eviction drive in the Intangki Reserved Forest with fairness without prejudices or biasness and to the appealed to the concerned authorities to make careful assessment and identification of all the villagers falling under the purview of the Intangki Reserved Forest before carrying out any eviction.
