Kohima: Residents of Nagaland's Wokha district have launched a formal rebuttal against accusations of illegal mining brought against them by Assam authorities. Leaders representing the Ralan and Yanmhon areas held a peaceful protest on June 6 to contest claims that locals were responsible for unauthorized boulder extraction in the Disputed Area Belt.
Representatives from the Ralan Area Lotha Hoho and the Yanmhon Area Public Organisation argued that the mining activity was actually initiated by the Assam Forest Department in 2022. They asserted that these operations were carried out under the guise of the central government's Amrit Sarovar scheme, which was overseen by the Sarupathar MLA. According to Joint Coordination Committee co-convenor Tsenjamo Lotha, officials used the scheme as a cover for commercial gain. He stated, "Under the name of this 'Amrit Sarovar' scheme, they issued permits for nine fisheries (ponds)."
Lotha explained that instead of developing the land as promised, authorities extracted earth and boulders for transport into Assam. Local leaders are now calling for a full investigation into the execution of these projects on land currently under legal adjudication. Additionally, they have rejected social media characterizations of local residents as illegal miners or members of a hill mafia.
Tensions remain high following reports of a unilateral plantation drive planned by Assam authorities in the disputed zone. Residents marched from Liphanyan to Tsuchanben to protest the scheduled planting of 250,000 saplings, an initiative reportedly directed by Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan. The march culminated at an Assam Forest Department camp housed in a former primary school, where protesters demonstrated under the supervision of CRPF personnel.
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