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The Chief Minister TR Zeliang, along with the members of the Bhandari District Demand Committee and Lower Lotha Oil and Mineral Bearing Zone Association on October 27.[/caption]
Dimapur, Oct. 27 (EMN): A delegation named Bhandari District Demand Committee and Lower Lotha Oil and Mineral Bearing Zone Association today appealed to the state government to upgrade Bhandari sub-division under Wokha district to new Bhandari district and also to expedite the amendment of NPNG Rules and Regulations 2012.
The delegation, which called on Chief Minister TR Zeliang, at his residential office, submitted a memorandum for the new district headquarters citing problems of road accessibility, administrative convenience and backwardness of the areas.
Expressing concern over the issue, the chief minister assured the delegation to look into the matter after receipt of report from verification team who would study on the feasibility for creation of new district.Considering the border problem with Assam, lack of road and communication accessibility and economic disadvantage, he remarked that it is important to open up a mineral-resource-stacked Bhandari to a new horizons of development. He urged the delegation to convince those sections of the people who "reserve agreement to exploration and exploitation" of mineral resources which would otherwise benefit the people of the state.
The chief minister informed the delegation about the productive negotiations traded between the state government and the Centre on the constitutional legality, modalities and share ratio between stakeholders, worked out for exploration of petroleum and natural gas in pockets of the State. He, however, regretted that such endeavour was put on halt due to PIL filed in the court of law by local people themselves.
The chief minister requested the delegation to discuss among themselves for an amicable settlement out of the court. He also enquired about the road condition and construction of bridges in Bhandari sub-division.
A CMO press release stated that the proposed Bhandari district has a total area of 778.74 Sq.kms with 73 villages and lies 70 kms away from Wokha district headquarters and borders with Assam in the west which runs 115 kms. Though the Lothas are the main inhabitants of the Nagaland’s oldest sub-division, there are sizable presence of Sumi and Karbi populations. Bhandari is richly endowed with natural and mineral resources but mostly inaccessible by road and people are often required to travel through Assam. The area has been declared by the government as an 'Economically and Developmentally Backward Area' since 1983.