Demand for separate Frontier Nagaland State has a historical background, says former MP Chingwang Konyak
DIMAPUR, MAY 25 (MExN): Former Member of Parliament Lok Sabha and senior Congress MLA from Mon District Chingwang Konyak has argued that the demand for a separate ‘Frontier State’ by the people of ‘Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization’ has a historical background. This historical problem has to be known by the people, stated a lengthy discourse issued by the former MP, who is also a sitting Congress MLA.
Chingwang also pointed out that the grievances of people of ENPO areas are not only about development deficit but that people from the region are more than 100 years behind in human resource development and other economic development.
As regard the earlier steps put in place for a separate Tuensang Affairs department or the Regional Council, it was informed that there was no separate allocation of funds neither to Tuensang Affairs department nor to Regional Council, except for salaries and allowances. All the proposed works/projects recommended by the Regional Council were forwarded to concern department for inclusion in the works programme of the department. But in many cases, the concerned department had ignored. The Tuensang Affairs department was something like a monitoring department only, the senior Congress leader stated.
“Today, the problems faced by the people of ENPO areas are that administratively, we are more than 82 years behind and educationally more than 100 yrs behind than the other advanced tribes,namely, Aos,Angamis, Lothas, and Semas”, it stated.
Chingwang in his statement pointed out that even now after nearly 50 years of Statehood, there are many schools, which had one or two teachers and that teachers are irregular attending the schools. “The condition of schools in ENPO areas is in pathetic condition. So, how can a student coming from such schools be able to get admission in good institutions and be able to compete for Civil Service exams and etc”.
According to him, the result of the High School Leaving Certificate Examinations of the last few years, reflects the quality of education of Government high schools in the ENPO areas, which has been almost at “zero level at times”. He further stated that till today no extra incentives has been given for increasing their capacities and socio-economic advancement, rather, “discrimination policy is followed toward the education of the backward areas, such as , no proper infrastructure, shortage of teachers, etc, etc,”. Therefore, the rate of literacy and their socio-economic progress lags behind the rest of the State, the former MP stated.
On the development front, the Congress MLA while maintaining that the present ENPO areas were brought under administration in the mid-20th century only alleged that “ENPO areas are always put in the back burner of development programmes”. While stating that often people talk about Department of Underdeveloped Areas (DUDA), however Chingwang claimed that “these backward areas were given even less than the money spent for a construction of one Directorate Office Building at Kohima.
The senior Congress leader from the region has therefore maintained that people of ENPO areas feel that they are being discriminated and deprived in all aspects. “They do not see better future by continuing in present State of Nagaland. Therefore, they have decided to go for ‘Separate Frontier State’. Unless these issues are genuinely addressed by the Central and the State Governments, they are likely to continue with their demand”, Chingwang stated.
