I am compelled to give this press statement on the issue of ‘Intanki National park Encroachment’. Before the press statement issued by Lily Merry, Advocate, C/o Dimapur bar Association on October 25, 2012, no body was aware about the Intanki National Park Encroachment and thought that the Beisumpuikam New Village and Inavi/Naga United Village were the only two villages in dispute with the Government of Nagaland. But, according to the Systematic Deforestation based on Official Records obtained through RTI Act Publication by Lily Merry, Advocate, the encroached Area list is seen alarming and too much. No body can deny about the involvement of politicians in the past and present and in that this case, it becomes impossible to save the national park intanki. Allowing people to establish villages inside the Intanki National park Area without fulfillment of the New Village recognition procedures and some politicians inaugurating the unauthorized villages. That was the illegal precedents of the villages recognized by the VVIPs and funded by the Nagaland Successive Governments. If the matters are taken to the High court and Supreme Court, the encroachers may lose the case in the Kohima Bench Court and Guwahati High Court, because our Naga politicians can play the role in the Lower courts. But when matters reach the Highest Court (Supreme Court), decision of the Supreme Court might touch/effect the older villages and successive Government of Nagaland might be implicated. Incase, Supreme Court can take the stern action against all the encroachers, that might become another big problem, which will be next to impossible. Otherwise, the highest court (Supreme Court) might decide to turn the Intanki National Park into a ‘Human-Park’, considering that it is vastly under deforestation without trees and animals.
The best example was the Ranga Pahar Wild Life Sanctorum Area that had been converted into 13/14 Naga Villages Sanctorum. In that previous Ranga Pahar Government Reserved Forest, more than ten to fifteen Baptist Churches have been built and bells are heard for devotional services every Sunday.
Hence, Nagaland Government must take firm decision to use the same yardstick and evict both the encroached villages or let the two Beisumpuikam villages remain as the two last villages established. Otherwise, allowing one of the two villages and evicting the other will only stir a new ‘Era’ of ‘Disunity’ among the tribes. The alternative means for the landless people among the Nagas must be rehabilated well with either ‘Land’ in question or with ‘Financial Assistance’ as alternative for them and allow them to arrange their own village lands for their establishment of their own village. This is suggested to end the Intanki issue.
I.Vitokhe Assumi
Former President Sumi Hoho
