Dimapur, May 26 (MExN): Clarification has been demanded from Forest & Environment minister Kheto over statements he made on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on March 25 in regard to the Ntangki National Park. Outlining the statements, the All Zeliangrong Students’ Union has demanded clarification from the concern minister.
The statements that the AZSU said was made by Kheto outlined the point that, firstly, from 2003 till January 2007 there was no encroachment in the park but of late there was. Secondly, the minister also stated that in 1992 Beisumpuikam villagers started to encroach into the park and the villagers filed a suit. The petition was dismissed and vacated the status quo order passed on April 8, 1993. The minister also went to state that as per directives of the government, a survey was undertaken by the department where it was found that a considerable area of land belonging to ‘Baizal village’ was included for an exchange of land.
The AZSU in a note appended by its president Lungchui and president of AZSU (AMN) Mirhu demanded to know from the minister whether or not he is aware how many times eviction was carried out by the forest department to check encroachment in the park. “Does it require any cabinet decision to evict encroachers be it in national parks or any reserved forest; is he speaking as a minister or loyalist of encroachers?” the students’ union queried. Why should he wait from January to March 2007 for a cabinet decision or wait for response from the NSCN-IM and why not the department could act as per Acts of conservation, the unions wondered.
In regard to Beisumpuikam, the village is a government-recognized village adjacent to the park and there is no dispute over land ownership.
However, after confirmation that some ‘group of people’ had begun encroaching in 1993, the village was shifted o the present location “with the clear objective to protect the park.”
The union also pointed out that there is no such village by the name of Baizal under Peren. However there is a village called Phaijol “which he might have intended to support.”
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