The Nagaland Urban Council Federation and 36 town councils have demanded immediate vacating of Airport Authority of India land occupied by the Assam Rifles Training Centre, citing public interest.
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DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Urban Council Federation (NUCF), along with all 36 town councils of the state, on Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional vacating of Airport Authority of India (AAI) land allegedly under illegal occupation by the Assam Rifles Training Centre (ARTC).
Expressing strong resentment over the continued occupation, the NUCF issued a press release stating that the land in question legally belongs to the AAI and that the presence of ARTC on the site is unauthorised and against public interest.
Repeated appeals and official communications seeking relocation have failed to yield any result, it added.
According to the federation, the prolonged delay in vacating the land has severely hampered long-pending expansion and modernisation of Dimapur Airport, the only civil airport in Nagaland.
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Stating that urban local bodies represent the constitutional voice of the people at the grassroots level, the NUCF asserted that the collective will of the people was clear and unanimous that public land meant for critical infrastructure must be restored without further delay.
The federation called for time-bound intervention by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure immediate handover of the land to AAI.
It also sought accountability from authorities responsible for what it described as an unjustified delay.
Warning that any further delay would be viewed as a wilful act against public interest, the NUCF said it, along with the 36 town councils, would pursue all democratic, legal and constitutional means to safeguard public assets and ensure that infrastructure projects vital to Nagaland’s future are not obstructed.