IMPHAL, May 14: The powerful Naga apex body UNC today reiterated all the Naga NGOs should remain dissociated from all the MDCs who defied the former’s call to stay away from the ADC elections 2010 and detached themselves from all state ministers and MLAs who are not concerned about the Nagas.
UNC said in a statement that according to its directive issued on July 21, 2010 and further reminder of August 7, 2010 to all the apex bodies including the tribal Hohos and other frontal organizations based in hill ranges and villages, all the MCDs elected in the ADC elections 2010 should be boycotted as they rejected the body when it appealed them not to contest the ADC elections 2010.
Saying that the directive should be implemented in letter and spirit by all concerned, UNC said there is no objection to any developmental works taken up in the Naga areas that can be supervised and monitored only by the designated officials and the Naga public.
It, however, said no ministers or MLAs of the ruling party of government of Manipur would be welcomed in the Naga areas, stating that their presence is not necessary and that the development works can carry out without their interference.
All frontal organizations, tribal organizations, range and village level organizations and individuals are directed not to entertain or associate with ministers of the GoM and also all the Naga MLAs and ministers and not to give them recognition or provide public platforms as they had defied the resolution of the joint meeting of the United Naga Council, Frontal Organizations and political parties held on December 15, 2011, UNC said.
The meeting decided that any political party whose policy, programme and activities that do not subscribe to the Nagas would not be qualified for the support of the Naga people in any manner whatsoever.
The NREGS is a programme that intends to empower the villagers with direct funding through wages. The funds are supposed to be directly given to the villages, but the GoM is trying to hoodwink the tribal by using middlemen, the MDCs to handle 25 per cent of the funds, UNC accused.
This is not a devolution of power but deprivation of the power of the village councils/chiefs, who take care of the administration in the villages, it said, adding that the GoM has started the process of the “severance of ties” by denying the power of the villages on the pretext of devolution of power to the ADCs while the full shares and rights of the villages are being denied.
All village chiefs/village authorities are therefore should reject and disallow the design of the GoM to deduct 25 per cent of the NREGS fund and to divert the same to the ADCs.
In the name of development of public facilities and infrastructures, the GoM is trying to encroach upon tribal lands by obtaining documents for transfer of land to it, UNC alleged, saying the protection against land alienation of the tribal is mentioned in the Hill Area Committee under 371C of the Indian Constitution.
All Village Authorities are, therefore, directed not to transfer ownership of any area of land in their jurisdiction to the State Government for any purpose, be it under the SSA, EGS programme or any other development programmes although they can rightly allot required areas of land for construction of school complexes or other infrastructures with guarantee, UNC said.
All concerned are requested to stringently follow the above directive in their respective jurisdictions, it urged.