Land dispute meet with Nagaland today : CM
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR
Imphal, December 20 2019:
The 9th session of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die today.
One the last day of the session, the House also passed the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 .
Replying to a call attention motion raised by MLAs K Ranjit and DD Thaisii on the land dispute between Tungjoy village of Manipur's Senapati district and Khezhakeno village of Nagaland's Phek district, Chief Minister N Biren informed that the high level committee constituted by the State Government to resolve the land dispute would hold a meeting with a team of Ministers from Nagaland on December 21 .
The committee headed by PHE Minister L Dikho as Chairman and comprising of Revenue Minister Karam Shyam, Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister N Kayisii, DCs and SPs of the districts concerned was constituted on December 7 .
The committee which also has members from civil society organizations of Senapati and Ukhrul districts would work to settle land disputes between the two States including those of Tungjoy village and Dzuko Valley.
Biren exuded confidence that the meeting scheduled tomorrow will have a positive outcome.
He said that the issue is a long standing one dating back to 1982 over traditional land ownership of a region along the inter-State boundary of Manipur and Nagaland.
During a State-level meeting on January 8, 1992, it was decided that both Sate Governments would request the Surveyor General of India to carry out a border survey to bring an amicable solution to the boundary dispute.
However, there is no record of any such survey.
Bilateral meetings held between the two State Governments in 1986 and 1992 agreed to resolve the boundary issue in accordance with the traditional/natural boundary demarcated by British officers Mr Butler and Dr Gordon, Biren said.
He reiterated that it is a sensitive issue and as such demands a diplomatic approach to settle it.
The Chief Minister also said that the Centre will be urged to take up the issue and settle the border issue through proper consultations with both the States.
With regard to the same issue, the State Government sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Joint Secretary (North East) Satyendra Garg on August 22, 2017.The letter urged the MHA to re-erect boundary pillar, after proper survey by the Surveyor General of India, at Chidac near Khezhakeno where the Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) had opened a post.
Nagaland has been accusing that the particular boundary pillar was removed by Manipur Rifles on November 25, 2011 .
Nonetheless, the State Government has been working to re-open the MR post at a place not far away from the contested site, Biren informed the House.
Another bilateral meeting was held at Kohima in 2000 at the level of the Chief Secretary.
The meeting agreed to cease all development works at the disputed sites and also to remove the Manipur Rifles post opened at Tungjoy.
There are similar boundary disputes at Jessami and Dzuko Valley too, the Chief Minister stated.
The disputed sites belong to Manipur as per map but when one goes there, Nagaland villagers claim them as theirs.
When preparations were started to celebrate Hornbill Festival at the disputed site recently, people of Tungjoy raised strong objection.
In response to another call attention motion raised by Kh Joykisan on reported misutilisation of funds under MOBC, the leader of the House who is also in-charge of MOBC, assured to look into all the issues highlighted by the MLA and to investigate into any wrongdoings in the department.
He observed that there had been reports of individuals who were not students withdrawing students scholarships and non-compliance of official procedure.
In a bid to clean the department, actions were initiated against some officers.
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