Nagaland assembly forms 10-member committee to examine border issue with Assam

Concerned over frequent tensions over the Assam-Nagaland border issue, the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Thursday constituted a 10-member select committee to examine all aspects of the border problem with Assam.

After thorough deliberation on the Assam-Nagaland border issue, the house unanimously adopted a three point resolution moved by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the assembly.

The house has asked the committee to submit its report within a period of three months. The committee is headed by chief minister Neiphiu Rio as Convenor, Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and Opposition Leader T.R. Zeliang, as Co-Convenors with Ministers P. Paiwang Konyak and Jacob Zhimomi, Advisor Mhathung Yanthan, MLA Amenba Yaden Member, Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland K. G. Kenye and Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi as special invitee and Commissioner Nagaland and Secretary i/c of Border Affairs Secretary as Secretary of the committee.

The house resolved to request Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure maintenance of status quo in letter and spirit in the disputed area till settlement of the issues. The assembly also decided that the border issue should be amicably settled outside the court by the two state governments, by involving the local communities from both the sides Assam’s longest border dispute is with Nagaland, which began since the creation of the state in 1963.

The Nagaland State Act of 1962 had defined its borders according to the 1925 notification when Naga Hills and Tuensang Area (NHTA) were integrated into a new administrative unit and made an autonomous area.

Nagaland, however, did not accept the boundary delineation and demanded that the new state should comprise the Naga Hills and all Naga-dominated area in North Cachar and Nagaon districts, which were part of Naga territory, created by the British according to the 1866 notification.

Since Nagaland did not accept its notified borders, tensions between Assam and Nagaland soon flared up resulting in the first border clashes in 1965 and this was followed by major clashes between the two states along the border in 1968, 1979, 1985, 2007 and 2014.

The Assam government had filed a case in the Supreme Court for identification of boundary and resolving border disputes which is still pending. The Chief Secretaries of Assam and Nagaland had on July 31 signed an agreement to de-escalate the tense situation prevailing at two locations in the Dessoi valley forest/ Tsurangkong valley by simultaneously withdrawing security forces within the next 24 hours.

Earlier in the Nagaland assembly, Opposition MLA Imkong L Imchen initiating a discussion on matters of urgent public importance pertaining to Nagaland-Assam border in the house said the border issue between the two states has been occurring from time to time while continuous harassment has been meted against the Naga people passing through Assam side.

He also alleged that Himanta Biswa Sarma after becoming the chief minister has started flaring up border issues with all the neighbouring North Eastern States “with the intent of declaring war against the neighbours surrounding Assam”.

Imchen also questioned the intention of Assam CM announcement to deploy 4000 commandos in all the bordering areas of North Eastern state. “I don’t think his commandos would be distributing sweets, rashagulla, samosa or chicken fries but would engage in something else… This is a direct challenge against all the NE states,” he said.

Assam is the most potential state among the North East but it is acting as a step-brother and has gone little too far, he said. “We have DONER Ministry and NEC and therefore Neiphiu Rio who is also the senior most chief minister in the whole North East should take initiative to call the chief ministers of the region, excluding Assam to discuss how best they can pursue and have NEC and DONER without Assam,” he said.

The senior politician of the state also stressed on the need for construction of a foothill road from Tizit in Mon district to Khelma in Peren district in the interest of Naga people which has been blocked by Assam politically, bureaucratically and technically.

He also suggested that a parliamentary delegation may organize and meet the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter so that a special dispensation is given to Nagaland for construction and completion of the foothill road in Nagaland. Imchen also suggested that a cabinet sub-committee be constituted to go into the details of the documents and review all the agreements entered with Assam from 1972 till July 31, 2021.

MLA Y M Yollow said that the problem was due to the land holding system since 1963 statehood thinking that the plain area belongs to Assam and only the hills side of Nagas. “Nagas were economically and educationally backward so could not dominate the plain areas despite being their own land,” he said.

“Assam is trying to encroach and seal the border areas by bringing in Bangladeshis and Adivasis”, Yollow alleged.

He suggested that a proper system and policy needs to be evolved to check such encroachments. Nagaland shared 512 Km border areas with Assam, so a foothill road is the need of the hour to ultimately protect the land areas of Naga people, Yollo said.

Opposition Leader T R Zeliang said Assam-Nagaland boundary dispute is a long pending issue and has witnessed border clashes in 1965, 1968, 1969, 1979, 1985, 2014 and 2015. It has created unrest for people of both the states particularly those living in the border areas of the two States, he said.

Despite such conflict and turmoil, even the Supreme Court has not been able to finalise the boundary issue till today, which I feel, is due to the complexity of the matter, he said. Zeliang also highlighted that Assam has unilaterally violated all the four interim agreements signed in 1972, which had demarcated boundaries in various disputed areas, In all the four (interim) agreements, Nagaland was restrained from undertaking any survey or construction of road or any structure all along the Reserved Forest, he said. Advisor for Border Affairs, Mhathung Yanthan said Nagas claim is based on historical and traditional boundary.

The State of Assam claims the boundary between Assam and Nagaland based on the 1925 Boundary Line Notification while claiming it as “Constitutional Boundary”, he said. This has been strongly contested by the Nagas, he said. Nagaland claims all the areas of forests (22 Reserved Forests) and 41 Tea Estates covering an approximate area of 13,000 Sq. Km, which were transferred to neighbouring districts of Assam from the erstwhile Naga Hills District through various notifications by the then British Government, he said. Out of the 22 RFs, only 10 RFs which are located along Assam-Nagaland boundary falls under Disputed Area Belt (in short DAB), covering an approx area of 1,484 Sq. Km, which constitutes about 11% of the claimed area (from 13,000 sq. km).

Based on the 16th point agreement, Nagaland state was created under the Union of India without boundary demarcation but with assurance that inter-state boundary demarcation shall be undertaken in accordance to the Constitutional provision of Articles 3, 4 in due course of time, which could not be taken up till date, said Yanthan while adding that this is the crux of the entire problem.

Fully endorsing the opposition leader and members that almost every agreement between Nagaland and Assam has been to the disadvantage of Naga people, chief minister Rio said Nagaland has withdrawn 12 posts after 1972 agreements but Assam did not comply and in fact they have increased the police posts in the Disputed Area Belt. A total of 53 police stations have been identified in the Assam side established by Assam Government in recent times and also took some unilateral decisions specially on oil exploration in 27 sites along the disputed area, he said.

“Assam doing what they want to do and the border issue is very very serious,” Rio said. However, Rio conveyed happiness that during the recent clash between the two states in Vikuto and Tsurankong border areas, Nagaland and Assam have entered into an agreement on July 31 without any pre-conditions. In this, he also appreciated Assam chief minister Sarma for accepting upholding the decisions taken during their telephonic conversations and also while meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Meghalaya.



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