Kohima, April 19 (NEPS): The situation in Assam-Nagaland border is slowly and steadily picking up for a showdown as both Governments appear to be taking tough stands and the accusations and counter-accusations of encroaching lands on both sides in the border areas reaching summit.

Nagaland has been accusing Assam of allegedly encouraging illegal immigrants to grab Nagaland�s land, whereas Assam counter-accused Nagaland of rampantly setting up villages in their land by issuing land permits, etc.

The simmering border imbroglio between the two States has become more volatile in recent weeks following visits in the Disputed Areas Belt (DAB) by hordes of Assam Ministers followed by their Governor.

They had even advised people living in the border areas that the Government (Assam) was fully behind them and prepared to face any eventuality if Nagaland Government used aggressive postures and continue to claim the land as theirs.

Even the State Government (Assam) in connivance with the CRPF deployed in the Merapani (D) Sector for looking after the law and order in the DAB areas went to the extent of destroying structures of erecting monoliths for the inauguration of a village-Hayiyan-on April 2 on the charges that the area belonged to them.

The Assam alleged that the Nagaland Government was trying to rename their village called Doltoli as �Hayiyan�.

Talking to NEPS here today, Nagaland Minister for Horticulture and Agriculture Dr TM Lotha denied of having tried renaming the Assam village as �Hayiyan�.

�The Hayiyan village is not a new village,� he said.

�It is there since long back, besides the area is completely out of the DAB and very much within Nagaland�s Wokha district�.

�The Assam people�s saying that we are going to rename their village as �Hayiyan� is totally false and baseless,� he further clarified adding, �The Nagaland Government had already recognized the village (Hayiyna), which is located some 24 kms away from Merapani junction under Nagaland�s Wokha district, since 1991, and I was simply going to inaugurate it.� The fact is they (people from across the border) have decided to come down and settle in that village, the Minister pointed out.

It may be mentioned that Dr Lotha was almost ready to proceed for the inauguration of the village (Hayiyan) on April 2 last.

But the Minister had to cancel the program after being informed that the whole arrangement for the inauguration was completely destroyed by the CRPF personnel in connivance with people living in the Assam border areas.

Besides the people in the Golaghat district were up in arms to thwart the Minister�s coming to inaugurate by organizing bandhs and protest on the day the latter was to come for inauguration.

He also said he had decided to cancel his going to the Hayiyan village when he was informed by the district administration and police about the whole ugly development going on there, just to avoid further complexity to the already heightened tension in the border areas.

Regretting on the manner in which the neutral forces in connivance with the Assamese people created fear psychosis by destroying the village inauguration plan in Nagaland side, Dr Lotha asserted the forces (neutral forces) had really gone out of the way.

Their action deserved to be condemned, he blurted out.

Stating that such neutral forces should not in any way interfere in the administrative business of Nagaland, the Minister asserted the present CRPF in Merapani deployed to perform as �neutral forces� have been acting more than Assam Police, besides under the Command of them (Assam police).

The Minister has, therefore, questioned the rationality of such neutral forces having been placed under the Command of Assam Police when the Nagaland State is having the border tangle with them (Assam).

He felt that such forces should be placed under the Joint Command of both the States or else it should be under the direct control of the Central Government so as to deliver neutral services to the border areas of them (Assam-Nagaland).

By any means, the Minister also asserted, the CRPF, the so-called neutral forces, should be immediately replaced with either BSF or any other central forces that would play a neutral role and restore the confidence of the people in both sides.

Dr Lotha also lamented the Assam Government�s failure to honor the Assam-Nagaland Interim Border Agreement, 1972.He said the Nagaland Government honored the agreement by withdrawing all the Police Outposts from the DAB areas, whereas the Assam Government is yet to withdraw their Police Outposts.

The Minister further alleged that the Assam Government, instead of honoring the agreement, still continues to occupy and harass the innocent Naga villagers in and around the DAB areas.

He said the Assam Government should honor the agreement in letter and spirit as Nagaland did till the final settlement is arrived at.

Warning against the policy adopted by their counterpart in Assam by encouraging illegal immigrants to grab Nagas� land, the Minister said such policy of Assam was �highly detrimental to the future survival of the Assamese and the Nagas as well�.

�This is absolutely a wrong policy and it should be stopped forthwith,� he felt.

The Minister reiterated that the border issues with the neighboring Assam can be amicably settled at any time but not with the encroachers and the people who are pushed systematically inside Nagaland by the Assam Government.

�How can we settle border row with the outsiders,� he asked.

On the Assam�s sticking to the Court ruling for final settlement of the border problem, the Minister wondered how the Court would resolve the issue.

�Because unless the people from both sides accept the ruling, things will go back to square one and people will continue facing the same problems,� he explained.

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