Source: Hueiyen News Service / Agency
New Delhi, October 11 2009:
Bringing permanent peace to Nagaland and pushing for a final deal with Naga insurgent groups to resolve the decades-old conflict will be the top priority of Nikhil Kumar, the newly-appointed governor of the militancy-hit state.
Kumar, a former Delhi Police Commissioner, said he is "excited" about the new assignment and would do "everything possible" in his capacity to create a conducive environment for resolving the vexed issue and bring permanent peace to the "beautiful state.
"I met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after my appointment and he told me that the Centre puts a very high priority to bring peace to Nagaland," Kumar told PTI here.
He will take over from Manipur Governor Gurbachan Jagat who is holding additional charge of Nagaland.
"To finalise the peace deal (with the NSCN) will be my top priority," he said, adding the Centre has given him the assignment taking into consideration his "experience".
Asked what will be his approach in pushing the peace talks with dominant Naga group NSCN-IM, Kumar said he would first like to educate himself about the problem.
NSCN(IM) serves Rs 1-cr extortion notice on TE: Suspected NSCN-IM cadres have served an extortion notice demanding Rs 1 crore from the Hollonguri Tea estate owned by Andrew Yule and Company, garden officials said today.
A group of about eight NSCN-IM cadres arrived at the tea estate last night and gave the notice to the garden authorities asking them to pay up at the earliest.
Garden manager Ajit Rajkhowa said he had informed the company management and the district authorities about the notice immediately and would act as per their instructions.
SP Deepak Kumar rushed to the tea garden where security was strengthened.
"We will also talk to the Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung in Nagaland and try to resolve the situation at the earliest," Kumar said.
There was no plucking of leaves in the garden during the day.