Dimapur District Village Council Chairmen’s Association (DDVCCA) Thursday extended support to the stand adopted by Joint Committee for Illegal Immigrants (JCPI) on enactment of Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) by tabling the Banuo Commission report at the ensuing assembly session for in-depth deliberation and to legislate it into an Act.
DDVCCA president Khekuto Wilson Yeptho and secretary Vitho Zao, in a joint statement, appealed to all the elected representatives to “collectively apply their wisdom and not fail the future of our people.”
DDVCCA described the issue of “illegal immigrants flooding the NE States”, as “alarming” as one state in the North East was now dominated by illegal immigrants with the indigenous inhabitants a minority in their own state. DDVCCA reminded that ‘a stitch in time will save nine’ lest Nagaland also face “such a dreaded situation”.
It said that the importance and severity of the issue should “not be narrowed to party colours but evolve a consensus.”
Further, DDVCCA endorsed the demand to make December 1, 1963 as cut-off year for registration of RIIN.
It further cautioned that any compromise on year later than 1963 would undo the whole essence of identifying indigenous inhabitants. The association has, therefore, maintained that the date and year of Nagaland statehood (16th State in Union of India) was “most appropriate and convenient” which the legislators should consider.