Nagaland Cabinet backs Frontier Nagaland proposal, approves new district for Melur

Kohima (Nagaland) [India], October 30 : Offering a sigh of relief to Eastern Nagaland on the demand for a separate Frontier Naga Territory (FNT), the Nagaland Cabinet, in its meeting on Wednesday, announced that the State Government is prepared to recommend and forward the case to the Centre. However, the State Government proposes renaming FNT as Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), which is under active consideration. This was confirmed by Government Spokesperson and Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs K.G. Kenye, who spoke to media persons after the meeting at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat in Kohima.
Kenye stated that one of the main agenda points was the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) issue. He explained that, as entrusted, both the Eastern Nagaland Legislators' Union (ENLU) and the ENPO met last week to review the proposals in detail before bringing them to the State Government, resulting in today's decision. He mentioned that three Cabinet Ministers from the ENPO region participated in the meeting, and after deliberations, the government accepted the draft Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) proposed by the ENPO.
When asked about the timeline for submitting the recommendations to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kenye responded, "There is no reason for us to delay and keep this matter pending." He added that final adjustments, discussed today, would return to the ENLU and ENPO, and a designated commission would finalise the details.
Minister for Forest, Environment, Climate Change, and Village Guards, C.L. John, also a Government Spokesperson, highlighted the various developments involving past ENPO members. He noted that earlier discussions had stalled as the ENPO insisted on retaining the original draft of their demands. "That was pending for a few months because the ENPO refused to discuss it," he said. Only after the new ENPO team, led by President A. Chingmak Chang, met with the ENLU and resumed talks was the original MoS draft finally reviewed by the Cabinet. "This is the final draft for that MoS," the Minister confirmed.
Regarding financial autonomy for the separate entity, Kenye stated, "As you know, funds come from the Centre; sometimes they're released on time, at other times, there are delays, so we cannot establish an exact timeline." C.L. John added that there were no new guidelines, "We don't have separate guidelines; it should align with central policies." He mentioned that the ENPO has directed the ENLU to maintain the original structure. "Whatever we have received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, we must comment on the original structure," he remarked.
Kenye also announced that the Nagaland Cabinet has approved the creation of a new district for Meluri, a Naga ethnic group residing in Nagaland's Phek district. "We are happy to announce that the long-awaited demand of our Pochury brothers for a district has been granted by the Cabinet, and it will be created very soon," he shared.
On another significant matter, Kenye addressed the issue of alleged encroachment by the Government of Assam into Nagaland's reserve forest. He revealed that the state government had identified discrepancies in a letter sent by the Assam Chief Minister to his Nagaland counterpart, a copy of which was forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to Kenye, the letter refers to a location at the tri-junction of the Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland borders, which is within Nagaland's Disputed Area Belt (DAB). "The establishment of camps and paramilitary training by Assam in this area has raised serious objections from our side," he stated, adding that the Cabinet has decided to communicate with both the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The state will conduct a physical verification led by a senior official as an immediate response.