Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 14
In the wake of the ongoing ban on movement of unprocessed timber from Peren district to other districts by Peren Civil Society Organisations, 27 villages under Peren district have issued a clarification.
Chairperson of Mbaupungchi Village, Ipeu and chairperson of Nkio Lodi Village, Dileu, in a press statement on behalf of the 27 villages asserted that “the material forest products sold out to the contractors with an agreement made for the operation of log/timber under certain condition and period cannot be banned by any individual or groups as contractors have every right to operate until validity period is over.”
The 27 villages in the press statement cautioned that any case of violence or intimidation taking place in near future involving the villagers or timber contractors, then the imposers of the ban on movement of timber would be held sole responsible.
Further, the “imposer of the ban” would also be responsible with regard to issue of “refunding the price of the area purchased”, the statement added.
The list of villages as per the press statement included Old Ngaulong, Ngaulong Lodi, Bamsiakilwa, Nkio B, Nkio Lodi, Ngam, Old Sohget, Lower Sinjol, Nsenlwa, Beisumpui Zandi, Songsang, Beisumpuilwa, Upper Singol, Old Nkio, Heiranglwa, Lalong, Nchen, Azailong, Mbaupungchi, Nchangram, Nsong, Old Nzau, New Nzau, Old Tesen, New Tesen, Mbaulwa and Tening Village.
It may be mentioned that earlier the Nagaland Timber Traders’ Union (NTTU) had appealed to DC Peren to direct the Peren CSOs to revoke the latter’s decision to totally prohibit the passage of unprocessed round logs from Peren district.
NTTU in a representation dated December 6 last to DC Peren argued that the Peren CSOs have no authority whatsoever to interfere with the working schemes duly approved by the government.
“Our business is strictly regulated in terms of the working schemes approved by the concern authority from time to time”, the union stated.
Besides, NTTU pointed out that none of the sawmills presently functioning in Peren district have been approved by the authority concerned for processing round logs. “As such, there is no alternative but to transport the same to the approved mills outside the districts”, NTTU added.
NTTU also stated that “in default”, the DC should issue directive to the Peren CSOs to “pay back the invested amount of Rs. 6,67,55,709 together with interest @ 12% per annum to the timber traders within 15 (fifteen) days” from the date of submission of the representation.
