Seeks eviction within three weeks
Dimapur, September 21 (MExN): The Western Sumi Youth Front (WSYF) under the aegis of Western Sumi Hoho has submitted a representation to the Nagaland Chief Secretary seeking prompt action in regard to what it termed as “the unilateral creation of the so-called Lamhai Namdhi village within the established area of Kiyevi village.”
It gave the government three weeks to “evict the self-styled proclaimed villagers of Lamhai Namdhi from the village land of Kiyevi.”
In the representation, the WSYF claimed that the Kiyevi village had “weathered all the pains” to transform what was once, inhabitable, into a habitable settlement and that it would be a gross injustice if the sacrifices shouldered by its forebearers are undervalued.
It said that the WSYF had apprised the Government of Nagaland of the ‘reality of the problem’ on many occasions through the print media and also by submitting a representation to the Chief Minister of Nagaland through the Dimapur Deputy Commissioner with a detailed report on the issue.
However, the Government of Nagaland has failed to “exercise its then standing order No. CNG-1/45/Com/KHEHOI/2018, dated. 25th June, 2019, whereby, the order was for both sides to maintain status-quo, and when it failed to act in the implementation of its own order, by allowing, self-styled Lamhai Namdhi, to, override the order, and start construction of structures.”
The construction of structures is not a problem; the WSYF is only concerned about the “inefficiency, if not partiality, of the government and its agency, in the implementation of the government order,” it added.
“The WSYF felt the need to express the above stated since the failure of the government was, once again, exposed, when the order of the Home Commissioner, GoN, No.CNG-1/45/COM/KHEHOI/2018-785 dated Kohima, the 8th July 2019, restricting both sides to, even not to loiter in and around the ‘made believe’ disputed area, and further ordered to evict people present in that said area,” the WSYF stated in the representation.
It went on to state that the posting of armed police (IR) personnel to oversee the implementation of the order was ‘simply thrown to the wind’ as the alleged “illegal construction was allowed to proceed, and adding insult to injury, paddy fields and plantations of not only Kiyevi’s, but also of Hetoi, Khehoi and Vihuto villages were cut down and destroyed.”
Many times, these destructions were carried out by people dressed in camouflage fatigues, it claimed.
Stating its cognisance that ‘the government is fully aware of what is happening,’ the WSYF said that it “does not desire to go beyond the prescribed law to address a solution to a problem.”
“But as clearly stated above, in the unfortunate event of the government failing to evict the self-styled proclaimed villagers of Lamhai Namdhi from the village land of Kiyevi within three weeks of this representation to the government, the WSYF will be left with no alternate, but to resort to our own traditional means and ways of protecting our land,” it cautioned.
Needless to say, the consequences and the responsibility, thereafter, will remain, squarely, on the state government, the representation stated.
