Senior Citizens’ Association Nagaland (SCAN) has slammed the State government for purportedly failing to take any proactive steps in preventing NSCN (I-M) from encroaching upon the famous Intangki National Park in Peren district.
Addressing a press conference at Ura Restaurant here on Tuesday, SCAN spokesperson KK Sema said the issue was of utmost concern for all Nagas as a vast swathe of virgin forest land was now under “complete control” of NSCN (I-M).
Following rumours doing the rounds since the mid-2019, that managerial establishments of the Forest Department in the national park, including staff quarters, have been taken over by NSCN (I-M), Sema said SCAN decided to pursue the matter.
Accordingly, he said the association filed an RTI with Public Information Officer (PIO), interlocutor & governor’s secretariat, hoping that the PIO will ensure that the Forest Department would provide a proper response.
On SCAN’s plea, Raj Bhavan redirected the RTI to the chief secretary on September 15, 2020, who in turn, forwarded the same to the PIO of Environment Forest & Climate Change Department on September 18, 2020.
Sema said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and head of Forest Force further redirected the RTI to Chief Wildlife Warden, Dimapur on September 24, 2020.
However, on October 12, 2020, Sema said the Director of Intangki National Park only furnished a vague reply. He disclosed that SCAN could not take the matter forward earlier, owing to Covid-19 pandemic and change of guard in the association. Sema accused the State government of having done nothing over the years and has shown no concern over the vast forest land which was of huge value to every Naga.
Sensing importance of the matter, Sema revealed that Chief Information Officer (CIO) convened a meeting between officials of Forest Department and SCAN representatives for a “face to face hearing” on September 7, 2022 to review the pending issue.
He claimed that during the course of hearing, the department confirmed that NSCN (I-M) had taken full control of the department’s Intangki establishment.
Sema said the forest department had also admitted that its staff had gradually abandoned their duties in the park after continued threats and intimidations by NSCN (I-M) cadres.
He said the staff/employees claimed that they had reported the matter to their immediate superiors but no action has been initiated. The SCAN spokesperson said even though the NSCN (I-M) might not have included Intangki National Park in its competency clauses of Framework Agreement, however the group’s actions made it clear that it intended to rehabilitate its cadres in the occupied land as and when solution was arrived at.
Sema questioned the State government’s silence over the “seizure” of the 202.02 sq km area of the Intangki National Park.
Sema also said he suspected that the purported harassment (of forest staff) might have started as early as 1993-94 and gathered momentum after the signing of ceasefire agreement between the Centre and NSCN (I-M) in 1997.
He claimed that the Forest Department personnel, including officers posted at the National Park, were “harassed” and ordered to vacate the Park by NSCN (I-M) cadres. Due to incessant threat and harassment, Sema said the forest officers and personnel had to gradually vacate the area despite without any response from the state government.
Sema slammed the state government’s inaction when forest personnel posted at Intangki were threatened and forced to vacate from the establishments.
He informed that as per law, once a piece of forest land was declared as a reserved forest, the land automatically became a property of the government.
“How can we say there is a government when Forest Department staff/ employees have to acquire permission from NSCN (I-M) to carry out duties inside the park area?,” he asked.
He also claimed that there were reports of massive deforestation and logging being undertaken in the National Park but in the absence of any surveillance of the forest by government officials, those claims were yet to be ascertained.
It was also noted that, interestingly, no environmental clearance was issued by the government to NSCN (I-M) for deforestation and logging.
Sema claimed that the state government was sitting complacently over the matter, even though it was well aware of the issue. He asked if Nagas had fought over the past decades only to lose even the little property they possessed?
He said Nagas of Nagaland have been taken for a ride both by NSCM (I-M) and the State government. In this, he said SCAN was of the view that a final solution to the Naga political issue must be fair and square for all Nagas.
Supplementing Sema, SCAN adviser Kuolachalie Seyie clarified that the association was not a political organisation and nor against any group.
He however reiterated, that SCAN’s fight was for survival and a divine duty, when huge forest areas were being destroyed that posed real threat to the very survival of Nagas.
Seyie maintained that even the Constitution of India acknowledged that the land belonged to Nagas and that “the government cannot not steal and give it to someone else”.
He said the Park area was acquired and therefore, if the government decided to utilise it in any other way, then as per the initial agreement, the landowners have the right to take back land as per Land Regulation Act.
He expressed the hope that Nagas would wake up to the issue and stand united against any force trying to destroy their land and property.
Asked whether SCAN was willing to join hands with tribe organisations if they came forward to protect the National Park from encroachment, Sema replied that the association was more than willing to sit with them and chalk out possible solution to resolve the issue.
On the next plan of action, Sema said the association wished to see the issue resolved in a most amicable way. He however, warned that SCAN would take to legal recourse, if it was left with no other option and as the last resort to fight for one’s rights.
Intangki was declared a reserved forest on May 7, 1923 and was later declared a national park on March 3, 1993. The Park is governed by laid down rules and regulations under the Nagaland Forest Act, 1968, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and various administrative orders of the government from time to time.