United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas (UNTABA) on Thursday alleged that the plan of Karbi Anglong district administration and police to carry out a massive eviction drive in Daldali reserve forest area along Assam- Nagaland border “turned out to be a hoax”. In a press release, UNTABA chairman Hukavi T. Yeputhomi and general secretary Imsumongba Pongen claimed that all the illegal settlements around 6 Mile and Sunday bazar areas in Assam side and Disapur, Kukhuribosti, Notunbosti,Tillabosti, Jarunallabosti, Dikrongsa, etc. in Nagaland side in the border areas were still standing intact.
UNTABA reminded that currently the boundary between Nagaland and Assam in Dimapur areas were clearly defined by Lengri Stream/River from Lahorijan, near Khatkhati to Rilan village adjacent to NH-36, which was established in 1991-92 and recognized in 2013 by the government of Nagaland. It stated that any eviction carried out inside Nagaland by any authority in the aforementioned areas would therefore be illegal and invite “unnecessary conflict” amongst the peace loving inhabitants of both the states especially in the border areas.
UNTABA said it was constitutionally bounden duty of government of both States to drive out any illegal settlements in the Reserve Forest areas. However, it alleged that Assam government, instead of fulfilling its constitutional obligation, has been “systematically facilitating” all the illegal settlements along the border areas with “people of questionable origins” since 19th century in all the Reserve Forests that rightfully belonged to Naga people.
The association claimed unless the Assam authorities completely drove out all those illegal settlements especially in the Reserve Forests, transferred to Assam administration in the later part of 19th Century and early part of 20th century, the coming generation would surely find it difficult to answer the Naga people.
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