Kevipodi Sophie, Legislator of the Southern Angami I Constituency on Tuesday appealed the State Government to immediately protect and preserve Kezoltsa area as an eco-biodiversity zone. Kezoltsa, a significant biodiversity resource, traditionally belonged to the Southern Angamis, stated Sophie.
Calling the attention of the house on the urgent public importance on the second day of the fourth session of 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), MLA Sophie highlighted the contention pertaining to the traditional land at Kezoltsa involving Maram, Mao, and Southern Angami communities which has persisted for decades. The MLA stated in detail, the decades long imbroglio which involved the violations of agreements, destruction of the rich biodiversity and intervention of state governments, and civil societies.
“The issue is a matter of concern for the people as our ancestral and traditional lands lie across the arbitrary drawn imaginary line of the Nagaland-Manipur political state boundary, which was drawn without the consent of the local dwellers. It must be understood that the dispute of this matter is in no way an attempt to alter or change any arbitrary political state boundary although drawn without the consent of the local dwellers, but to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on whichever side of the arbitrary boundary it may fall,” stated Sophie.
Acknowledging the fact that Nagas have coexisted in their own traditional lands much before any arbitrary state political boundary was drawn, Sophie instanced examples such as the Okhro-Ikhro village of the Mao people which is within the Nagaland political state boundary adjacent to Khuzama village of Nagaland. “While this village is within the political state boundary of Nagaland, it is under the administrative control of Senapati district of Manipur. This traditional ownership by the Maos is duly acknowledged by the Angamis of Nagaland and has never claimed this traditional land of the Maos even though it falls within the political boundary of Nagaland. Not only that, since some portion of the Khuzama TB hospital of Nagaland Government stands on the land of the Maos, even 15 post of Grade IV post were granted to the Mao people of Manipur by the government of Nagaland at TB Hospital as acknowledgement of their ownership even though Mao is not a recognised tribe of Nagaland. Such instances of traditional ownership across the arbitrary state boundary exist not only in this Angami area but also under Phek district of Nagaland,” cited Sophie.
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Acknowledging traditional ownership of land: key to drawing an amicable solution
Villages with their traditional ownership and boundaries have existed long before states were created by arbitrary lines of political and administrative conveniences. “If the traditional ownership of lands across any arbitrary political state boundary is acknowledged by neighbouring Governments without ignoring the arbitrary state boundary, many of the inter village land disputes will naturally dissipate. It must be noted that the Mao people has no traditional territory that borders with Kezoltsa. This is acknowledged also by the people of Maram Khullen, Sangkungmei, Willong and Yang khullen of Manipur State who shares common traditional boundary with the Angamis and which is duly acknowledged by them,” stated Sophie.
Citing the Mao Council’s Memorandum to the CM of Manipur (dated 23rd April 2015) which acknowledged that Kezoltsa is within Manipur State political boundary, Sophie highlighted the relevance on the findings of the then DC Kohima in 2015, that ‘as the claim of ownership is explicitly based on ancestral ownership, the political boundary of recent decades does not have any relevance on the issue’.
“The Angamis under any circumstances cannot part with its traditional land and this assertion has no conflict with the existing political state boundary. It is high time that the state government intervenes to protect the rights and ownership of the people, making it lawfully acceptable and recognized by both the State Governments and the Civil Societies. The Nagaland State Government must find a means to facilitate and resolve the issue with due recognition of genuine traditional owners and through the employment of customary and traditional laws prevailing amongst the Tenyimi family,” appealed Sophie.
The MLa urged the State Government authority to determine the genuine land owners and acknowledge their traditional ownership which the civil societies have laboured ceaselessly to resolve this issue based on traditional and customary laws.
“Ensuring and acknowledging traditional ownership through facts and evidences without ignoring arbitrary political boundaries will ensure peaceful coexistence between the neighbouring villages as well as the governments of the neighbouring states,” stated Sophie. He also urged the State Government authority to immediately intervene to protect the Kezoltsa from exploitation and to preserve Kezoltsa area as an eco-biodiversity zone by deploying State government agencies concerned with protecting the forest lands and to assist and to provide resources to the traditional owners concerned with the preservation and protection of Kezoltsa. “It is essential to note that this area serves as a catalyst for eco-bio diversity not only for Nagaland and Manipur, but also for the entire North East State and should be protected at all cost from being devastated and exploited,” advised the MLA.
