HT Bureau
DIPHU, Dec 15: The Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) has said that if the Central government could form a committee to study the demand for separate frontier Nagaland state and make an on-the-spot visit by a team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), then why not take the initiative to create an autonomous state for hill districts of Assam, Karbi Anglong and NC Hills.
ASDC’s Daniel Teron also criticised the president of All Party Hills Leaders Conference (APHLC), JI Kathar for only sticking to the powers of the Sixth Schedule.
In a press conference held here at the ASDC office, Teron said, “The demand of a new state in Bengal by Kamatapur Progressive Party has reached the Home Ministry. Also, the Central government has formed a committee to study the demand for frontier Nagaland State and to make an on-the-spot visit to Eastern Nagaland on December 16, then it should take immediate initiative for Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao to create an autonomous state.”
Teron said a three-member committee was constituted by the MHA to study the demand for a separate frontier Nagaland state.
The ASDC’s publicity secretary further said in the context of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills, such a study committee is not required as all pros and cons were already done in 1969.
“What the Centre needs to do is just implement Article 244 (A) of Indian Constitution. The process of re-organisation of the Northeast in 1969 and in 1971 was left incomplete following the betrayal of Congress and APHLC at that time,” he said.
Teron said that Kathar should stop creating confusion as the Sixth Schedule provision exercised in Karbi Anglong and NC Hills has become insufficient.
He also mentioned the adverse effect on the hill tribes of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills from the Uniform Civil Code bill introduced in Rajya Sabha by the Central government. “If the bill becomes an Act, it will have a wide-ranging negative impact on the social practices, customary law, language and culture and religious practices of the hill tribes,” he said.
Teron also expressed that encroachment on Karbi Anglong forest is still on from Meghalaya.
“All the development activities like the construction of roads and bridges inside Karbi Anglong by the Meghalaya government should be handed over to Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council,” he added.
