SIVASAGAR, Aug 22 � Convening a press conference in Sivasagar Circuit House this morning, the Minister of Law, Sericulture, Handloom & Textile Pronob Gogoi strongly refuted the allegations that the State Government is not doing the needful to protect its people in Assam-Arunachal border areas near Charaipung, gripped by tension following encroachment by Arunachalis and violence caused by suspected NSCN guerrillas.
Minister Pronob Gogoi said that the situation has been blown out of proportion by the media and that the district administration acted promptly in thwarting illegal activities from across he border in the region. The government of Arunachal Pradesh also responded positively and joined in the peace meeting in a body in Bimalapur on August 19 with Tako Dabi, Minister of Home, AP, heading the team. He was accompanied by
H Ngangum, Minister for Horticulture, T Wangshu, Parliamentary Secty, T Talo, Commissioner Home, Robin Hibo, DIG and W Lorung, DC Tirap district. From Assam government side the Minister of Law, sericulture was accompanied by Upper Assam Commissioner Ajoy Tiwari, Dr RL Bishnoi, DIG , NM Hussain , DC , Sivasagar and AK Sing, SP, Sivasagar .
The Minster said that the Local Commission for Border Dispute between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh under Justice T Chatterjee will surely be apprised of the situation by the government . Speaking about the genealogy of border dispute in the region the Minister said that the Arunachal Pradesh villagers petitioned Assam Government to lease out some areas(Tunglung basti) for betel leaf(pan) cultivation way back in 1967. The then Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha granted their petition and made them pay revenue to the Assam Government of Rs 1 per bigha and established the fact that the land belongs to Assam and hence cannot be disputed as the Arunachal Government now claims. Now Arunachal Government has established over five villages in the area well inside 7 km of the Assam border.
The Minister said that there are media reports of Assamese people being taken away by NSCN , but there is no police report on such incidents and no FIR lodged. He said that the joint peace meeting decided to arrange joint patrolling in the area by Assam Police and Arunachal police . The Minister expressed his disapproval for CRPF men for their unsatisfactory track records in entire stretch of Assam Nagaland border .
It may be mentioned that there are as many as 120 small tea growers in the region and the suspected NSCN men often serve extortion notes to these tea growers causing panic among them and Assam government allegedly has not taken any effective measure to contain the growing NSCN influence in the region along Assam Arunachal and Assam Nagaland border .
Answering queries from the media, the Minister said that he was not aware the oil giant ONGC allegedly took permission from Nagaland Government for its exploration activities in Bihubar and Lakhimijan oil field .
Meanwhile, AASU-led agitationists continued their economic blockade in Kanubari-NEFA road, Chharaipung- Longding road and Joypore-Tezu road in Dibrugarh district for the second day today demanding arrest ofthe culprits that destroyed the Charaipung police outpost and several houses.
