Nagaland Not to Part With an Inch of its Land: CM

By Deepak Gupta

Kohima, Mar 28 : Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has said Nagaland would not part with even an inch of the actual land of the Nagas with Assam, adding even the Supreme Court was finding difficulties in giving judgment on Nagaland-Assam border and the case is still pending in the court.

Making the concluding remark on the concerns expressed by the ruling and opposition legislators on the Nagaland-Assam border issue among others, Mr Rio last night told the House that the border issue with Assam is a long-pending issue and he himself had talks with his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi and in some official-level talks, had suggested to settle the issue out-of-court, but Assam did not agree on that point and the case was dragged to the Supreme Court.

The apex court had constituted a Border Committee, which is still taking hearings. He also said the Nagaland Government has rejected the 1925 Notification Map of the Survey of Government of India demanding that new maps have to come up with demarking all the Naga claimed areas.

The Chief Minister recalled that in 1979, Nagaland had submitted a total of six maps and 41 documents to establish its claim on Nagaland-Assam border issue to the Union Government, which was, for reasons better known to the Union Government, handed over to Assam Government and he regretted that Assam Government reported that the documents have been lost.

However, the process of recovery is on as the Supreme Court has directed Assam Government to trace those documents.

Mr Rio assured that the actual Naga areas are marked and that it would continue to fight to the last till Assam comes for an amicable settlement of the issue outside the court. He also informed the House that the Advocates representing the Nagaland Government, led by the Advocate General, is doing a good job in cornering the Assam Government and the Union government in the court.

He also informed that physical occupation by Assam poses the main problem in the border areas and the Nagaland Government has deployed village guards in all the bordering villages to protect the border.