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[dropcap]R[/dropcap]URAL DEVELOPMENT: The tendency of the people of this District is to complain at the drop of a hat. Since most of their complaints centred on misuse of funds, be it VDB, DPBF etc. I decided to attack the main issue...the VDB. An awareness campaign was launched in a big way. We began with Wokha and Chikitong Block, followed by Sanis and Bhandari Blocks. The message was no different from the ones that we had conducted at Kiphire. Some of the issues defined were as follows: 1/ Village Council cannot be a member of the VDBC. By maintaining a clear identity the VC would be in a commanding position to discipline the VDBCMs. 2/ The duty of VDB Secretary is to call for a general public meeting through the good office of the VC and declare all funds being received by the village under various schemes from RD & DRDA. 3/ It is the public of the Village who have the authority to plan out their priority development. It is NOT the VDB or the VC to dictate the terms of development to the people. This is a very crucial matter where Wokha is concerned. It was observed that the VC and VDB would sit together and finalise all the village plans in a closed door rat’s meeting. The public neither had a clue about the financial grant being received by the village nor the village plans formulated by the VC & VDB. In order to eliminate this absolute code of secrecy being maintained by these two deadly organisations, order was given that all villages under Wokha District should make a black board, noting all the grants being received by the village and displayed in a prominent place in their respective Council Hall. Many have done so, but a good number of villages have yet to carry out this instruction. Check back will be necessary. 4/ The village wise statistics of financial grant under GIA/EAS/JRY/IRDP/IAY etc., w.e.f 1995 was asked of all BDOs to be compiled. Each village account was read out in these meetings.
Public awareness at the village level, in matters of VDB, is very low keyed in as far as Wokha District is concerned. When a common man of the village is questioned about the functioning of their VDB, you will invariably get this response: “The VCs and the VDBCs will know. They are the ones in charge.” A simple straightforward response, but it does open a very significant chapter towards how we should be addressing this issue. We have come a long way from 1980, but we still have not crossed the threshold of square one. The common man in the village is still groping in the darkness. In Wokha, the Village Councils and the VDBC members, jointly and secretly decide the development fate of the village. In most cases, these sectors have been beneficiaries of all the funds and the actual development is executed perfunctorily. The Block verification leaves much to be desired. All told, it is a sad picture. No one seems to seriously be bothered that the funds being poured into the village level these days, are quite sizeable. Used well, our villages could all be converted into mini townships, with all the elementary needs being met. I hold a very strong view that the time has come for the Department of Rural Development to gear up its infrastructure and start a very concerted campaign, village by village, and teach the common man the basics. If we are unable to do this, we go into the next century in a state of ignorance, no better than what we are today. This opinion has been re-enforced by the fact that, when public meetings were conducted at the village level, the common man was realising for the first time, his authority and responsibility within the defined system, and how much funds their village has been receiving over the years, of which there was not too much trace. After such meetings, complaints against VC & VDBs misappropriation have escalated double fold in Wokha. The people have started asking questions that the VDBs and VCs are unable to truthfully respond. Court has discharged several Village Council Chairmen and VDB Secretaries after establishing their guilt of misuse of community funds, on public complaints. It paints a clear picture that the people are no longer ignorant as we presume them to be, and given half a chance they are capable of withholding their own. We would be meting out a great injustice, if we deprive them of this one crucial opportunity to learn.
In general, we have made some reasonable headway in this direction. My sincere advice would be that the VDB related issues should not be lost sight of. Seeing that our subordinate officers were not too well versed on this matter, I had spent some time trying to brief them of its importance. I however cannot confidently say that that my message has sunk in. While it has been made clear that the Administrative Officers will also be responsible to issue completion certificate on development along with the BDOs, I have serious doubts that they are actually carrying out any physical verification. These are hazards that need to consistently be addressed. Noting that the VDB misappropriation cases were not being given its due priority, I had taken up some nine/ten cases personally as a starter, to set a standard. Perhaps if these cases settled are gone over, it could help give a clue. I can only say this that if the VDB cases were settled forthrightly, strictly and fairly, the Administration would earn due respect, which at present is just about being recognised. Our work will be simplified even in the general area.
BORDER ISSUE: By and large the picture in the border is not good. We have lost a great deal of control. The immediate problem in hand is the Yimpang/ Alikhum pani kheti issue. These villages have been cultivating the land, now being disputed by Assam, since 1937. I had visited this area several times and observed that the Assam Police were virtually in control of this sector. They have established one Company post at Nagapath and another Platoon post within the pani kheti proper. It may be noted that the Interim Agreement between Assam and Nagaland of 1972, clearly mentions Yimpang /Alikhum panikheti, wherein their right to continue cultivating this area has been recognised by Assam. However, in violation of this they had evicted the cultivators on 15th March 1997. Since then, the Yimpang villagers have not been able to penetrate this sector. At present we have adopted two options: Option No. 1: The villagers have not only been evicted, but the Assam Police has forcibly occupied the Head GB’s kheti house. This being the case, it was decided at the level of Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary & Commissioner Nagaland, that such an act, being a violation not only of the Interim Agreement of 1972, but also of natural human rights, whichever side of the boundary one might be stationed, we should file a case in the High Court against Assam. The general idea is that the Court’s order would restrain Assam from high-handedness. However, since we are dealing with villagers who are not in a position to back up the cost of litigation, it is to be fended for under the SS fund through the good offices of the Commissioner in an unofficial capacity. Already an amount of Rs.5000/- has been advanced to Shri. Rinthungo, an Advocate practicing in the High Court. Option No.2: We had our NAP Company HQ at Ethung, on a hillock overlooking the entire belt of land that was being cultivated by Yimpang/Alikhum villages. Although Nagaland withdrew this post during 1972 Agreement, the Government of Assam did not withdraw their post from Nagapath. Instead they expanded their position by opening another Platoon post, smack in the middle of the pani kheti belonging to the second GB of Yimpang. I have been pleading my case that, if Ethung post is revived, it would encourage the Yimpang /Alikhum villagers to return to their 370 odd acres of wet fields. A policy decision has now been taken that this post at Ethung will be reopened. The DC will have to pursue the issue with the Commissioner for early implementation.
ONGC SECTOR: On the issue of ONGC, the undersigned has submitted a report to the Government, suggesting that it should seriously reconsider the possibility of reactivating ONGC operation in Nagaland. The fact of the matter is that the ONGC, without doubt, are carrying out incline drilling from across the border and tapping our resources. The closure of our wells does not stand to reason, under this circumstance. A rough opinion survey within the UG setup seems to show a positive ‘no objection’ indication. This chapter needs to be reopened.
POLICE OUT POST AT RALAN EAC HQRS: During my tour to the Governor’s camp and Ralan area, a critical problem was noticed. We have a lot of villages, recognised and unrecognised, close to the border or in the DAB. When the Neutral Forces arrest our Nagas, they are handed over to the nearest Police Station. Since Nagaland has no Police outpost in this sector, the arrested are handed over to the Assam Police. This has not only been causing a great deal of hardship to our local inhabitants, but we are losing a lot of day to day control over our border territory. In view of this handicap, it has been proposed that a Police Station be opened at Ralan HQs. This would also serve another vital requirement of establishing W/T communication with the border outpost, which at the moment is totally cut off. We are deploying monkey dak runners as of now. Reminder is perhaps on the card.
(to be continued)
The writer is a retired IAS Officer.
Forest Colony, Kohima
