A government communiqu\u00e9 issued by Lalthara asserted that Ntangki National Park had been encroached by illegal settlers calling themselves \u2018Inavi villagers\u2019 who have never been accorded recognition by the state government. which the state government has never accorded recognition. The government also asserted that the Inavi villagers were not the original inhabitants of Ntangki area but mostly encroachers who migrated from other parts of the state \u201cto encroach into this National Park area.\u201d
Eviction drive in July 2009 was launched against Inavi who filed a write on the basis of which a single bench court ordered status quo. Again another writ was filed by United\/Inavi village on the same eviction notice, Lalthara said. The two writ petitions were however dismissed by hon\u2019ble justice Hrishikesh Roy.
After that, the forest department launched fresh eviction drive against Inavi which again filed a fresh appeal on 2010 against the judgment & order passed on September 14,2010 by the single bench. A division bench on October 7,2010 ordered a status quo on both parties. Lalthara said Inavi village again filed another appeal on the same issue after which the state government also filed its counter affidavit praying for vacation of the court\u2019s interim order on status quo. Lalthara lamented that no proper hearing of the government writ appeal held by the High Court during the past seven months or so.
Despite the Gauhati High Court having constituted several benches during the past seven months no actual hearing of the government writ was held for various reasons.
Lalthara pointed out that an interesting fact of the matter was that Justice K.Meruno had excused himself from being part of the division bench hearing the case on the ground that he had earlier pleaded as an advocate in the case related to the present subject matter.
Despite that, Lalthara said Justice Meruno was made part of the Kohima bench during January 2011, February 2011 and June 2011 wherein he (Justice Meruno) did not want to hear the case. Again, when other benches were constituted without Justice Meruno in March 2011,April 2011 and May 2011 no hearing has been made inspite of the best efforts of the government advocate, he said.
The communiqu\u00e9 illustrated the gravity of the matter with the June 30 attack by an armed group of miscreants (who later claimed to be Zeliangrong Volunteers for Forest and Environment Protection) against Inavi village inside Ntangki National Park, killing two and seriously injuring another two.
Lalthara said the law and order situation in the park has become \u201cvery sensitive\u201d in view of the 15-day ultimatum served on the government by the Western Sumi Hoho to apprehend the culprits and on the other hand, the seven-day ultimatum served on the government by the Zeliangrong Volunteers for Forest and Environment Protection to evict Inavi encroachers failing which they (ZV) threatened to take their own course of action.
In view of the above, Lalthara said the government felt the strong need for early disposal of the case at the earliest, through the intervention of the hon\u2019ble chief justice of GHC as the case has become a matter of grave public importance. Lalthara urged upon the Registrar General GHC to put up the government appeal with the Chief Justice of the GHC for intervention.
Meanwhile, Inavi\/Hevuto village head GB Hevuto Swu refuting the statement of \u201cso-called Zeliangrong Volunteers for forest and environment protection\u201d, appeared in local daily July 4, said the \u201cso-called Zeliangrongs from Beisumpuikam village has a proclivity for fabricating lies and releasing false statements in media every time and the 30th June incident is no exception.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"