Assam-Nagaland border row: Economic blockade suspended for a day

District administrations of Dimapur and Karbi Anglong conduct joint inspection; KSA says further action will be decided on Wednesday   

Our Correspondent
Diphu, Nov. 17 (EMN): Civil society organisations in Karbi Anglong, Assam, have temporarily called off the economic blockade imposed on Nagaland, following a joint inspection of the disputed area by the district administrations of Dimapur and Karbi Anglong on Tuesday.

The suspension of blockade, which began on Tuesday morning, is only for a period of one day, Wednesday, November 18,

It was informed that a meeting was held between the district administrations of Dimapur and Karbi Anglong in Dimapur on Tuesday after their joint inspection of the alleged encroached area inside Daldali reserve forest.

According to a source, after prolonged discussion, the Dimapur administration agreed to remove the IRB camp which has been established inside the reserve forest.

It also assured to cancel the land pattas issued at Rilan village and ‘stop all activities taken up from Nagaland side immediately’.       

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Simeon Rongphar, the president of Karbi Students’ Association, which is spearheading the agitation, said that they are not withdrawing the economic blockade but simply putting it on hold for a day.

“Because we are being told by the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police, Karbi Anglong, that they went for a talk with their counterparts in Dimapur today (Tuesday). The demands that we had placed before the DC of Karbi Anglong have been put forward to DC of Dimapur. We are demanding that the land patta issued by the Nagaland government at Rilan village in Daldali reserve forest should be cancelled, two IRB camps which has been set up by the Nagaland government inside the forest should be taken back to Nagaland, electrification done by the Nagaland inside Daldali forest area should be evicted and encroaching should be stopped,” he said.

According to Rongphar, the Dimapur district administration had assured its Diphu counterpart to stop ‘the encroachment made by them’, during the meeting on Tuesday.

He also quoted the SDO of Bokajan as saying that status quo will be maintained.

‘The magistrate told us that when they asked for cancellation of patta, the DC of Dimapur said he will take it to the higher authority in order to verify the claim. The district administration appealed us to wait; with this faith we have stopped our agitation. If they continue encroaching, we will resume our agitation. A meeting between KSA and the DC of Karbi Anglong will be held tomorrow (November 18) at the DC’s office (for further action),’ said Rongphar.  

Earlier in the day, volunteers of KSA and 12 other organisations had imposed an economic blockade on NH-29 and NH-129 highway, restricting the entry of goods-carrying vehicles to Nagaland.

During the daylong demonstration at Sarihajan Tinali on NH-129 and Dillai on NH-29, the goods-carrying trucks heading towards Nagaland were stopped by the protestors.

The protestors have alleged that residents of Nagaland are encroaching land inside the Daldali reserve forest. They had earlier demanded the governments of Assam and Nagaland, and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, to initiate state-level meeting to resolve the border conflict.