Dimapur, July 3 (MExN): The administration of Wokha has noted with surprise an agreement the department of Fisheries is said to have entered into with the landowners of areas in and around Tsumang Lake in Wokha town. The Deputy Commissioner of Wokha Wepretso Mero today requested both the sides to review the ‘deed of agreement’ and enable the district administration to look after Tsumang Lake and its peripheral areas for the Wokha citizens.
The Wokha administration said Tsumang Lake is located within government occupied land and under the jurisdiction of the Wokha district administration right from the time of the British. Former Deputy Commissioner of Wokha Khekiye K Sema, IAS, during his stint 1998-1999 took keen interest in the lake to protect, develop and “beautify” the lake and through his efforts the lake’s area was earmarked, surveyed and fenced accordingly. Khekiye Sema then coined and christened ‘Tsumang Lake’ and as the main “architect,” he envisioned turning the lake into a tourist attraction and for the public to ‘spend their leisure time,’ Mero stated.
Then during the stint of Deputy Commissioner Imkongtemsu, NCS, , 1999-2002, he handed the lake over to the Fishery department to develop it into a fishery pond in 2002. However, Mero stated, the minutes of the Tsumang Lake Project Sub-committee November 15, 2001 clearly mentioned that the district administration would continue to protect the peripheral area of the lake and that the lake will be a multi-purpose project.
“This being the reason, the whole area of the Tsumang Lake has not been handed over to the Fishery department and only the lake where water-level comes up has been handed over to the department of Fisheries solely for fishery development purpose,” the Deputy commissioner stated.
The DC mentioned that Khekiye Sema during his stint had also evicted all encroachers by dismantling structures and buildings of some individuals, protecting it and keeping it under the administration’s control. Land compensation was not given to the land owners; still, the main plan to protect the lake was to develop and “beautify’ it which will be an asset for the district and not intended to allot sites to any private individuals. “At no point of time there has been any misunderstanding between the administrative department and the land owners of Wokha village,” the DC stated.
The administration also welcomed any department to take up projects within Tsumang Lake for its development for the interest of all in concerned.
The district administration expressed surprise that the Fishery department had entered into an agreement with the “landowners of Tsumang Lake without the consultation and support of the civil administration.
The agreement was executed on March 31 this year through a notary and totally ignored the terms and conditions which were mentioned by the Tsumang Lake-Project Sub-Committee on November 15, 2001, and chaired by the then DC of Wokha.
The two sides are requested to review the agreement taking into account the stated facts to enable the administration to look after Tsumang Lake and its peripheral areas even in the days to come purely for the benefit of the citizens of Wokha and the Kyong community in general.
