Border: Untaba dares Assam govt. to raid Naga lands

Dimapur, Nov. 30 (EMN): The United Naga Tribes Association on Border Area (Untaba) has dared the Assam government to conduct eviction drives in all the reserved areas if it was ‘really sincere.’ The organisation issued a press release on Thursday listing out a number of areas that it stated belongs to the Naga people mandated by a number of agreements. The organisation took note of reports about eviction drives being undertaken reportedly by the authorities of Karbi-Anglong district by the Assam government particularly in the Daldali Reserve Forest in the Lahorijan sector. It is ‘too little and too late,’ the Untaba stated. “The initiative is driven by ulterior motive based on the inter-personal rivalries between the powers that be from Assam. It is nothing but a mere eye-wash on the bigger lapses on the part of Assam Government over its illegal occupation and random exploitations of thousands of square miles on the rich and fertile Reserve Forests areas of the Naga people inside Assam.” If the Assam government is “really intent, sincere” and committed to its eviction drive in these Reserve Forests areas, the Untaba stated, it must undertake eviction drive in all these reserve forests areas “without any hesitation.” It must cover all the areas ‘without being selective as per the provisions contained in the Reserve Forests Acts on the reserve forests, listed, making the cut-off mark from 1860 onwards when the then Assam Tea Company was first established and tea gardens and industries were established in the Naga lands.’ The names of the reserve forests the organisation listed: Langting Mupa Reserve Forest (Kachari areas), Krungming Reserve Forest (Kachari areas), Nambor Reserve Forest, upper Daigurung Reserve Forest, lower Daigurung Reserve Forest, Kaliani Reserve Forest, Mikir Reserve Forest, Diphu Reserve Forest, Rengma Reserve Forest, Daldali Reserve Forest, Dhansiri Reserve Forest, Lumding Reserve Forest, Desema Reserve Forest, Kaki Reserve Forest, Geleki Reserve Forest, Tiru Reserve Forest, Kakodanga Reserve Forest, Desoi (Tsurang) Valley Reserve Forest, Desoi Reserve Forest, and Doyang Reserve Forest. “All these Reserve Forests areas rightfully belongs to Naga people as clearly defined starting from the year 1841 when the British government established Rengma Naga Hills and then Naga Hills District in 1866 headquartered at Samagooting, the present Chumukedima which was again defined in 1867 so as to cover Rengma areas under Nowgong district,” the press release stated. The Untaba stated that “it” was again redefined through the ‘Foreign Department No. 3386 P, dated 24th. December 1875’ to cover all the Naga areas from present Sibsagar district to North Cachar Hills, presently Dima Hasao district in Assam which was again slightly rectified through the Foreign department “Notification No. 988 E, dated 23rd. April 1884.” All the listed Reserve Forests and areas were systematically transferred to Sibsagar and Nowgong districts when there was no Diphu and Golaghat as districts headquarters, the Untaba stated. The organisation listed out the Transfer of Tracts notifications in the press release. “History will never forgive nor can it be re-written,” the organisation added.