YWS said Arunachal govt doing historic injustice to Yobin tribe

Itanagar: The Yubin Welfare Society (YWS) has accused the Arunachal government of doing historical injustice to the Yubin tribe.

At a press conference held at the Arunachal Press Club here, YWS president Ngwazosa Yobin said the eviction drive against villagers under Namdapha National Park is “injustice without knowing the historical facts.”

Ngwazosa claimed that his community has conceded about 23 miles to the Arunachal government and despite such a huge contribution, they are being called encroachers and poachers, which has hurt the sentiments of the people of Yobin.
“The forefathers of the Yobin community recognized the Mihiphiphi (17 miles) Burma Nallah as Namdapha Nallah. Our tribe contributed 23 miles of our land in the forest. Despite such contribution, poachers and encroachers attacked us. being accused of happening,” lamented the YWS president, denying poaching and encroachment within the Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary.
He questioned where a community would live if the forest department was claiming 80 miles.

He urged the government to provide basic amenities to the villagers living within 40 to 80 miles.

The YWS claimed that in 1983, Namdapha was arbitrarily designated a National Wildlife Refuge for 80 miles without the consent of local people.
Stating further that the Miao-Vijoynagar road can be completed as a motorable road only after the Chief Minister’s intervention, the YWS appealed to the Chief Minister to ensure that the Miao-Vijoynagar road is completed. To be completed as an all weather road.
YWS also demanded the protection of Yibidi alias Badadi. He claimed that Yibidi village is one of the oldest villages in Vijoynagar area which was renamed PritNagar in 1962 by an army officer Ajit Singh Guerya after his daughter.
He further alleged that the former Deputy Commissioner of Changlang, Devansh Yadav, persuaded the villagers to surrender their PRC and birth certificate in exchange for valid documents where the Badadi would be mentioned. YWS claimed that Badadi is not government land. However, YWS’s allegation was baseless.
The society also expressed concern over the construction of infrastructure in Vijayanagar areas without the consent of the local people. He claimed that the Yobin community was deprived of land ownership. “Infrastructure is necessary but ignoring the consent of the Yobin tribe is not acceptable,” he added.

The society urged the government to start internal line permit checks at Namchik Gate and appealed to the administration to ask for address proof and PRC certificates of people entering the Vijoynagar area.
Raising the constitutional impediments in exercise of adult suffrage in Panchayati Raj, the society urged the state government to hold Panchayati Raj elections at the earliest.