Nagaland Cabinet Plans New Territorial Authority for Six Eastern Districts

KOHIMA: The Nagaland Cabinet has agreed to the establishment of a Frontier Nagaland Territory Authority, granting special powers as per a long-pending demand by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation.

On Wednesday, the state Cabinet sat for a detailed discussion on the ENPO's insistence on a Frontier Nagaland Territory.

The ENPO includes six eastern districts of the state, and there live eight tribes: Chang, Konyak, Phom, Tikhir, Sangtam, Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan, and part of the Sema tribe.

The Eastern Nagaland areas, according to the ENPO argument, have been on the back burner in all sectors since it became a state.

They have been demanding statehood since 2010 and have been in direct talks with the Central government. The Central government has brought the state government into discussion, thus making it a three-party negotiation with ENPO.

The ENPO has decided to boycott Lok Sabha and Urban Local Body polls this year as part of their demands.

Government spokesman and Cabinet Minister CL John said in a release that during the meeting, the Cabinet resolved that the state government would shortly accept or reject the Central government's proposals on the demands submitted by the ENPO for which the Ministry of Home Affairs had sought a report from the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Minister John said that due to the election schedule, the issue has been a bit delayed; however, the government will reply as soon as it can. He added, "The ENPO area will be given FNTA and will continue in Nagaland, which will come under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution of India.".

In the meeting, they even discussed reports of the Assam government encroaching upon DAB which is very disapproving in nature. The government then decided to contact their central government and the respective government of Assam related to this issue.

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