Kohima: Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Assam will meet to discuss border problems on August 21 next.
Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang said he will meet his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi at Guwahati on August 21 next to discuss the current problems in the border areas.
Nine persons were killed on August 12 allegedly by miscreants from Nagaland and nearly 10,000 people fled their homes in seven villages of Golaghat district on the Nagaland-Assam border triggering tension between the two states.
The Chief Minister while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Dimapur yesterday expressed concern over the detention of nine security personnel of Parliamentary Secretary, Phaiwang Konyak by a mob of Adivasi people at Golaghat on August 15 last.
He blamed the Assam government of failing to control the mob, which has detained Naga people illegally. “We call it wrongful detention,” he said and revealed that he has already spoken to Gogoi soon after the incident took place and the latter assured to look into the matter and facilitate release of the detained personnel.
He also said that even after 4 days, nothing has been done to release the detained Nagaland personnel, and state officials have been deployed to go to the spot and take stock of the situation.
Disclosing that he has already written to Prime Minister seeking his intervention to solve the crisis, Zeliang said the Prime Minister’s Office has already informed Home Secretary to coordinate and resolve the issue between the two states.
He claimed that the Adivasis are demanding an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh for those killed and Rs 5 lakh each for those injured and Rs 7 lakh each for reconstruction of houses which has been destroyed and also demanded handing over of two persons reportedly abducted by Nagas.
On the proposal of the state Government to create Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ) along the foothill areas of the state, the Chief Minister said the state Assembly has proposed for setting up the NSDZ for attracting investors by providing them land pattas, but some organisations have opposed the government’s move.
He said some investors and companies have already approached the state government expressing their desire to set up business in Nagaland. Zeliang also said that the state government has called for a public consultative meeting with tribal bodies and NGOs tentatively on September 12 to discuss about the proposed NSDZ.
He said the NSDZ is proposal of the government only and is open for discussion and “if the landowners and tribal hohos (organisations) agree, then only we can go ahead”. (PTI)
