Dimapur, October 7 (MExN): The proposed consultative meeting on the ‘ownership and transfer of land and its resources’ convened by the government of Nagaland is “shocking and inappropriate,” the Mokokchung Concerned Citizens’ Forum of Mokokchung said today. The government ought to be focusing on the ongoing peace and political process, according to a note from the forum today.
“The proposed consultative meet on the ‘ownership and transfer of land and its resources….etc’ initiated by the present government is shocking and inappropriate to the present situation…” said the forum. Matters that are “detrimental for our common good” must be resisted and put to a stop, it said.
The reason is that, the forum explained, ‘when the Indo-Naga political dialogue is at such a crucial juncture, the proposed exercise on land and it’s resources will certainly be detrimental for the negotiators to have an honorable settlement when land becomes a state subject.’
“Nagas are today confronted with numerous problems and challenges. Different initiatives have been taken by various organizations, government and individuals but unfortunately all are not for the people,” the forum said.
Also, the forum said land is of prime importance for the identity of the Nagas. “No government has the moral and legal right to take it away from the people. More so, its rights are not with any organizations, civic bodies or government, but the people alone.”
At this juncture, the forums said, the need of the hour is “not to divert attention from the cruciality of the ongoing process by bringing issues that might be detrimental to our political solution and future but to support and extent all possible help to facilitate the ongoing peace and political process to arrive at a logical acceptable solution.”
The forum has urged all the Naga legislators and the DAN government in particular, “to prioritize this vital issue and be more sincere and true to it’s commitment as a facilitator to the ongoing peace and political process.”
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