Centre, Naga groups should expedite peace process: governor

Nagaland Governor Dr Ashwani Kumar today appealed to the Centre and the Naga groups to expedite the peace process to arrive at an honourable political settlement.
Addressing the Assembly, the Governor said the state government has taken many initiatives to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Naga political issue, including formation of the Joint Legislators Forum.
He said the efforts of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation to forge unity and common approach amongst the Naga underground groups are laudable.
However, he said, "We are worried that the negotiations has been prolonged for 17 long years."
"It is the sincere appeal of my Government that both the Government of India and the Naga nationalist groups should expedite the peace process to arrive at an honourable political settlement, so that the state and its people can pursue their destinies in peace," Dr Kumar said.

He said that the law and order situation by and large was peaceful and several tense situations were contained through timely and effective intervention of the administration and the police.
Stating that a very significant development taking place in Nagaland was the emergence of the movement of civil societies against illegal taxation by various groups, the Governor said the government was committed to ensure that the interest of the common man was secured.
A number of check gates along the highways where illegal taxes were collected were removed, and several other measures were being envisaged, including community policing and restructuring of the activities of the regulatory and revenue collecting departments, he said.