Dimapur, April 7 (MExN): The United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) has stated, presumably after verification, that the Karbi Anglong district administration's plan of carrying out “massive eviction” appears to be a “hoax” in the Doldoli Reserve Forest area since “all the illegal settlements around 6 Mile and Sunday bazar areas in Assam side and Disapur, Kukhuribosti, Notunbosti, Tillabosti, Jarunallabosti, Dikrongsa, etc. in Nagaland side in the border areas are still standing intact.”
A press release from the UNTABA President Hukavi T. Yepthomi and its General Secretary Imsumongba Pongen also reminded that “as of now, the boundary between Nagaland and Assam in Dimapur areas are clearly defined by Lengri stream/river from Lahorijan, near Khatkhati to Rilan village adjacent to NH – 36, which was established way back in 1991-92 and recognized in 2013 by the Government of Nagaland.” Therefore, “any eviction carried out inside Nagaland by any authority in the aforementioned areas will be illegal and is inviting unnecessary conflict amongst the peace loving inhabitants of both the states especially in the border areas.”
They also reminded the Government of Assam, as well as Nagaland, their “constitutionally bounden duty” to “drive out any illegal settlements in the Reserve Forest areas.” However, the UNTABA alleged that instead of fulfilling this, the Government of Assam has been “systematically facilitating all the illegal settlements along the border areas with people of questionable origins since 19th century in all the Reserve Forests that rightfully belongs to Naga people.”
The UNTABA, therefore, concluded that “unless the authorities in Assam completely drive out all those illegal settlements especially in the Reserve Forests transferred to Assam administration in the later part of 19th century and early part of 20th century, the coming generation will surely find it difficult to answer the Naga people.”
As for all the “transferred Reserve Forests and in particular Doldoli Reserve Forest carved out from bigger Nambor Reserve Forest in 1923 by the then British Government of India,” the UNTABA maintained that the Karbi Anglong district administration is “solely responsible for complete deforestation and establishing all kinds of settlements before it is even been de-notified as Reserve Forest for which it owes an appropriate explanation to the Government and the people concerned.”
