Nagaland Timber Traders’ Union (NTTU) held a joint meeting with its affiliated units including Chumoukedima Timber Traders’ Association (CTTA) and Dimapur District Timber Mill Owners’ Association (DDTMOA) on December 15 to deliberate on the ban imposed on movement of unprocessed timber from Peren district to other districts by Peren Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
In a press release, NTTU president Kevise Sogotsu informed that meeting resolved that the ban imposed by Peren CSOs was unconstitutional and infringement of Article 371 (A) of the Indian constitution, which states that “ownership and transfer of land and its resources” solely lies with the people or individual owners of land.
Nagaland Timber Traders’ Union stated that the timber contractors operating in Peren district entered into contract and signed legal agreements with 50 land/forest owners from different villages.
In this regard, as per the agreements, which could be validated in any legal court, it said the timber contractors had “every right to operate till expiry of the agreement”.
In this connection, 27 villages under Peren district asserted that “the material forest products sold out to the contractors with an agreement made for the operation of log/timber under certain condition and period cannot be banned by any individual or groups as contractors have every right to operate until validity period is over.”
Nagaland Timber Traders’ Union has, therefore, said the timber traders would “never bow down to the dictates of the Peren CSOs and the term and conditions laid down by them”. During the meeting, NTTU and its affiliated units also iterated that local timber farmer and contractors in Peren district who were operating in their own land and forests had every right to continue with their trade without any interference.
NTTU in a representation dated December 6 to DC Peren served a deadline that in the event of the Peren CSOs sticking to “ban”, the Peren CSOs should pay back the invested amount of Rs. 6,67,55,709 together with interest at 12% per annum to the timber traders within 15 days from the date of submission of the representation.
“If the Peren CSOs consent to refund the invested amount, then Nagaland Timber Traders’ Union and its units are ready to quit timber operation in Peren district”, NTTU stated.