Terrorism in Nagaland

The murderous attempt on the life of Nagaland Chief Minister S.C. Jamir is a cruel reminder of the fragile nature of the peace that has prevailed in Nagaland since the Centre initiated talks with the insurgents a few years ago.

Although the assailants are still to be identified and their motives ascertained, the daring attempt was evidently a well-plannned move to physically eliminate the Chief Minister. Mr Jamir had earlier survived three attempts on his life. There is no love lost between Mr Jamir and the Muivah-Isak faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) which is engaged at present in the peace talks. Mr. Jamir is believed to be close to the Khaplang faction of the NSCN. The two factions are fiercely divided and their internecine warfare has often taken a larger toll of lives than the incidents of insurgent violence involving the police and the army. Whereas the Khaplang faction operates close to the Burmese border, the Muivah-Isak group is active mostly in the hill districts of Manipur and the adjoining areas of Nagaland.

Boosting tourism

In the backdrop of tourism emerging as a major industry and making dramatic impact on the local economy in many parts of India, the news item appearing in this paper of declining tourists to Assam makes disheartening reading. Though official figures of visitors from outside to this State are not always reliable, yet they are broad pointers to the lessening allure of 'The Land of Red River and Blue Hills'. This despite the fact that in sheer ethnic diversity, scenic beauty and floral and faunal wealth, Assam has very few peers in the rest of India. One cause, of course, is the prevailing climate of violence in the region, with the State receiving a great deal of negative publicity outside. The prospect of being able to view a rare creature, such as a Great Indian one-horned rhino in its natural habitat, might not be enticement enough for the staunchest lover of animals if he believes that his life and limbs might be at stake. Obviously, vigorous publicity by the Central and State Tourism Departments, offering a positive picture, is the need of the hour. After all, Kashmir has been burdened with a far harsher milieu of terrorism and violence, yet has succeeded in luring tourists back.

However, the prevailing climate by itself is not enough to explain the decreasing interest of visitors towards Assam. This is borne out by the figures offered for states such as Tripura or Manipur, which are substantially higher than Assam, despite having insurgency-related problems. Lack of an adequate infrastructure and amenities, poor management, absence of modern methods of attracting foreign or domestic tourists, etc. are additional causes. The concept of arranging inter-State and intra-State circuit tourism has yet to catch on in the North East. The same is the case with the development of circuits for tourists with specialised interests such as pilgrim tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism, etc. Moreover, traditional spots of tourist interest such as Kaziranga and Manas have not been developed enough or linked to other focal points of interest. For instance, apart from a couple of hours of park safari, Kaziranga has little else to offer to a tourist who had spent days reaching it. Facilities which would convert Kaziranga into get-away-from-it-all spot and tempt a tourist to spend a couple of days there might make him feel the visit to be worth the expense and time. Simultaneously, a concerted effort must be made to attract youthful tourists, for which youth hostels, etc. have to be set up. This would also include younger elements among foreign visitors, who should be spared to some extent the exorbitant rates demanded from non-Indians.