Assam moves SC against Arunachal, Nagaland

NEW DELHI, July 23: The Assam Government has moved the Supreme Court against "occupation" of its forest and revenue lands by Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Over the years, a series of meetings between the three north-eastern neighbours have failed to resolve the decade-old boundary dispute. In two separate suits, taken up by the Court earlier this week, the Assam Government sought the Court's intervention to restore its right to administer its "own" areas, as envisaged in the first schedule of the Constitution. Considering the nature of the tangle, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice AS Anand issued notice to the Attorney General for assisting the Court. Counsel KK Venugopal and Vijay Hansaria proposed that the Director General of the Survey of India may be directed to delineate the boundaries on the basis of maps. They pointed out that in the case of Assam-Arunachal borders, the Survey has already prepared 29 maps counter-signed by both parties. On the other hand, the Nagaland and Arunachal Governments submitted that the boundary be fixed keeping in view the sentiments of the local people-- a contention which the petitioner opposed on the ground that it could open a Pandora's box. The Assam Government claimed that its Nagaland counterpart has encroached upon four reserve forests spread over 80 villages. At the same time, it alleged that Arunachal Pradesh was in occupation of about 300 sq km of forest and revenue lands. The Nagaland Government, in an affidavit, referred to two agreements signed by the Naga leaders with the Centre to safeguard the interest of the Nagas. In 1997, a Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, GK Pillai had stated in a report that "many areas are in the occupation of the Nagas and the civil administration of the Nagaland Government functions in these areas. "These include schools, dispensaries, water supply schemes, electricity, veterinary dispensaries etc. The Assam Government, though legally and Constitutionally the owner of these reserve forests, has lost de facto possession of the areas which are under encroachment by the Nagas," the official noted.