NSCN (I-M) has taken over Nagaland national park: NGO

Senior citizens’ body slams State government for failing to protect the interest of the public or the environment

: An organisation of senior citizens in Nagaland has slammed the State government for ostensibly failing to prevent the extremist National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) from encroaching upon a 202.02 sq. km national park.

The NSCN is better known as the NSCN (Isak-Muivah).

Members of the Senior Citizens’ Association Nagaland (SCAN) told journalists that a vast swathe of virgin forest has come under “complete control” of the NSCN (I-M).

SCAN spokesperson and former bureaucrat, K.K. Sema said the organisation filed a Right to Information application at the Governor’s secretariat following rumours in 2019 that the infrastructure of the State Forest Department, including the staff quarters, in the Intangki National Park, had been taken over by the NSCN (I-M).

The national park is in Nagaland’s Peren district.

The RTI application was redirected to the Chief Secretary on September 15, 2020, who then forwarded it to the Environment Forest and Climate Change Department three days later. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and head of Forest Force further redirected the RTI to the Chief Wildlife Warden on September 24, 2020.

“The Director of Intangki National Park furnished a vague reply on October 12, 2020. We could not follow it up due to the COVID-19 situation,” Mr Sema said.