Dimapur, June 8 (MExN): The United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) on Wednesday underlined the “bounden duty of the Government of the day to explore all the available means to see that the Naga people should not be deprived of its rights over royalties on petroleum products, natural gases and forest products.”
In a press release on Wednesday, UNTABA Chairperson Hukavi T Yeputhomi and General Secretary Imsumongba Pongen stated that the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) had recently raised a pertinent issue of resuming the oil extraction in the Naga areas that falls under the ‘Disputed Area Belt (DAB)’ and beyond. Appreciating the CNTC’s decision to come out strongly for oil exploration and extraction in Nagaland in consultation with the stakeholders, it however stated that “UNTABA will insist on having clear historical demarcations of the land of the Naga people and that the Naga people should get appropriate compensation on the exploitations on natural resources that rightfully belongs to the Naga people.”
Stating that “the boundary between Assam and Nagaland starting from Golaghat to Tizit till the tri-junction of Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh is ‘Dodhar Ali’ that is still in existence and from Golaghat down to Barak river bordering Manipur is well defined in the 1875 Notification of British-India Government,” the UNTABA stated that the Government of India and the Government of Assam have been undertaking “inconceivable strategies to control the areas of approximately 4,974.16 square miles or an equivalent of 12,883.07 square kilometers that rightfully belong to the Naga people ever since they occupied these lands unhindered.”
It claimed that many millions and billions of Rupees have been extracted from Naga soil through petroleum and forest products.
It is very disheartening to learn the indifferent attitude of the successive Government of Nagaland for all these years in failing to address the issue in its right perspective, the release stated, while adding that it would “seriously consider for legal course of action so that we may find the rightful relief as well as to find the right historical facts.”
The UNTABA further stated that its Chairman and his team met Assam Minister Atul Borah who is the Cabinet Minister in charge of Border Affairs, on January 26, 2022 at Jorhat and appreciated the Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland on their meeting on January 24 where they agreed to solve the interstate boundary between Assam and Nagaland ‘outside the court’.
“The Chairman of UNTABA and his team appealed to the Minister to consider withdrawing the ‘Civil Suit No. 2 of 1988’ which was filed by the Government of Assam under AGP Government against the Chief Election Commission of India, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Nagaland where the Minister admitted that the case will be a hindrance in solving the border issue,” it said.
However, the agreement between the two Chief Ministers on January 24 at Guwahati was just a ‘political gimmickry,’ it stated.
The UNTABA went on to voice its discouragement to observe the “Indo-Naga political discussions that has completely sidelined the rights of the Naga people over its lands.”
“The Indo-Naga political solution, if it ever comes without considering these historical facts can never be acceptable and honorable,” it said referring to the 1875 Notification of the British-India Government.
