Correspondent
WOKHA, JUN 13 (NPN): State deputy chief minister Y Patton on Saturday said the Nagaland government has not received any official information regarding the alleged construction of Assam police structures in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB), but assured that the matter would be verified if the reports were found to be true.
Speaking to Nagaland Post on the sidelines of a programme here, Patton was responding to concerns raised by civil society organisations over reports of temporary Assam police structures being set up in the disputed belt. He said that, if the reports were substantiated, police personnel would be deployed to conduct spot verification and ascertain the facts.
On the recent tripartite agreement for oil and gas exploration, Patton expressed confidence that the initiative could help address long-standing issues between Assam and Nagaland.
He noted that the decision had been taken jointly by the chief ministers of the two states and expressed hope that the agreement would pave the way for an early resolution of inter-state concerns.
Regarding future oil and gas exploration activities, Patton assured that local communities would be consulted and taken into confidence before any further steps were undertaken.