IMPHAL, November 28: The United Naga Council, UNC has lifted its counter economic blockade imposed along the national highways of the state from 6am of November 29 following an assurance from the Ministry Home Affairs that a separate Sadar Hills district will not be granted without the consent of the Nagas.
The decision to lift the blockade was made this morning during a presidential council meeting of the Naga bodies including CNPO, NPO, TNL, ANSAM, NWU, Committee on Alternative Arrangement and others under the aegis of UNC held at Tamenglong district hq which lasted for more than four hours.
L Adani, UNC president made the announcement during a public rally held in connection with the demands for an ‘alternative arrangment’ after the meeting.
Addressing the public rally, Adani recalled that a delegate of the UNC had visited the Union home minister at New Delhi on November 22 and apprised the Union minister on the Nagas’ stand on the Sadar Hills issue and had briefed that the Nagas’ will not accept inclusion of Naga’s land in the proposed Sadar Hills district.
He further stated that the Union home minister had given a verbal assurance during the meeting which was followed by a written assurance that the Sadar Hills district will be granted based only on the report of the Committee on district Re-organization and a consensus of the people.
Meanwhile, the rally was attended by more than a thousand Nagas including students from Tamenglong district. The rally started from the Tamenglong public ground and converged at Jadonang Memorial Children’s park where the public meeting was held.
During the meeting various Naga leaders deliberated further on the issue of ‘alternative arrangement’. The meeting further reaffirmed the stance to unitedly fight to safeguard their land which was also taken in Chandel and Ukhrul districts.
During the rally, placards reading ‘No solution, No rest’, ‘future of the Nagas is the decisions of the Nagas’, ‘We demand expedition of Indo-Naga peace talks’ etc. were displayed. During the rally shops establishments around the district hq remained paralysed.
It is worth mentioning that, the UNC had imposed its counter economic blockade along the highways of the state since August 21 demanding non-inclusion of Naga’s land in the proposed Sadar Hills district and had completed 100 days today. The Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee has imposed an economic blockade along the same highways since August 1.
Furthermore, more than 60 vehicles including private and public had been burnt down by both the SHDDC and UNC volunteers during their agitations. The blockades had resulted in steep price hikes and non availability of essential commodities in the state.