No Naga people encroaching evicted land in Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Dismissing reports of attempted encroachment by Naga people at recently evicted land in Golaghat district, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the Nagaland government will join a massive plantation drive in the area later this week.

Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma said he has spoken to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio about the reports of attempted occupation at Rengma Reserve Forest, where a massive eviction took place recently to clear encroachments from 11,000 bighas (nearly 1,500 hectares) of land.

"There is no encroachment by the Naga people. In fact, Rio will join hands with us for the plantation drive. We aim to plant saplings in 12,000 bighas of land at Rengma. This is going to be a significant step from an ecological point of view," the Assam CM said.

Sarma said that Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had personally called him an hour earlier to confirm that both he and the Deputy Chief Minister would attend the plantation programme. He also conveyed Rio’s request for Assam minister Chandra Mohan Patowary to be present at the event. Nagaland has already issued an official press release regarding their participation, Sarma added.

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However, the Assam CM expressed sharp displeasure at what he termed “misleading and irresponsible” media reports suggesting that the Nagaland Chief Minister had been unsupportive or restrictive about the programme. “That is why I requested the CM of Nagaland to issue an official statement so that such misleading reports by the media can be debunked,” Sarma said.

Visibly frustrated, the Chief Minister said he was “highly disappointed” with media outlets spreading fake news and added that he was “weary of having to clarify these matters repeatedly.”

The plantation initiative is being seen as a significant step in joint environmental restoration efforts by the two neighbouring states, which share a history of sensitive border issues.