GUWAHATI
The Nagaland government has scheduled a consultative meeting on June 30 to discuss the Centre’s proposal for the creation of an autonomous council comprising six districts in the eastern part of the State.
These districts, allegedly deprived of development by successive governments, are Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang.
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Organisations of seven dominant Naga communities — Chang, Khiamnuingan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, and Yimkhiung — across the six districts have been demanding a separate State called Frontier Nagaland since 2010.
The demand has been spearheaded by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO).
A notice issued by Nagaland’s Home Department on June 23 said the consultative meeting would be held at the State Banquet Hall in Kohima.
Nagaland’s Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers, the Assembly Speaker, all the Ministers, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of the State along with the Chief Secretary would participate in the meeting, the notice said.
The notice also listed the names of 19 individuals, including 12 MLAs, for participation in the meeting apart from representatives of six tribal organisations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs formed a three-member committee headed by the MHA’s advisor (northeast), A.K. Mishra after the ENPO threatened to boycott the February 27 Nagaland Assembly polls if the Centre did not act on its demand. The boycott was withdrawn later.
The MHA-appointed panel has visited Nagaland several times to seek feedback from various stakeholders on the Frontier Nagaland issue.
