Nagaland Assembly adjourned till March 25, second phase of budget session from March 26

The Speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Sharingain Longkumer, on March 12 adjourned the House till March 25 after the completion of the day’s proceedings during the ongoing Eighth Session of the 14th Assembly.

Longkumer informed members that the second phase of the session will resume on March 26 at the Assembly Hall in Kohima.

During the fifth day of the session, MLA Achumbemo Kikon raised a starred question regarding the status of the Tchunjanphen and Lio-Longchym/Longayim police outposts, stressing that recent incidents in the area require urgent attention and calling for deployment of more police personnel.

Responding to the query, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister-in-charge of Border Affairs Yanthungo Patton informed the House that a temporary police outpost has been set up in the area and that a proposal for establishing a permanent outpost is currently under process. Regarding the establishment of a permanent outpost at Lio-Longchym, he said the matter is under examination by the state government. Patton also told the House that the government is considering setting up nine new police outposts in border villages.

During supplementary questions, Patton said that the state had withdrawn its police outposts following the 1972 Interim Agreement, while Assam has since established 63 permanent police outposts along the Assam–Nagaland border.

He also clarified rumours about the alleged charging of ₹2,500 as training fees from candidates selected in the ongoing police constable recruitment, stating that no such fee will be collected.

Replying to another starred question raised by Kikon on whether any plantation drive had been undertaken in the Disputed Area Belt in the Ralan area after the recent eviction drive, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Village Guards C. L. John informed the House that no plantation drive has been carried out so far, though the department is considering initiating one in the coming months.

Responding to a supplementary question on whether Forest Guards had been posted to patrol the Reserve Forest in the Disputed Area Belt, the minister said the area is currently being patrolled by neutral forces and that the state government has not stationed any personnel there at present.

In another supplementary question raised by Kikon regarding the extension of power supply from the Nagaland side to Tchunjanphen and neighbouring villages in the border region, Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs K. G. Kenye said the department’s efforts have been stalled as the Right of Way for the proposed transmission line passes through a disputed area, with a larger portion falling under Assam. However, he assured that the department is exploring an alternative route to provide electricity to the villages.

Kikon also raised concerns that several villages in the border region, though recognised by the state government during geo-tagging, currently fall under Assam and should be properly demarcated during the census exercise. Sharing the concern, Minister for PHE and Cooperation Jacob Zhimomi suggested writing to the concerned ministry or department to ensure real-time population data and correct geographical mapping of Nagaland so that people living in border areas are not deprived of basic facilities and government benefits.