Centre working out a strategy to deal with northeast terror groups

Guwahati, Feb 12 (ANI): Union Home Secretary G K Pillai has revealed that the Centre is working out a strategy for dealing with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak Muivah) (NSCN -IM).

Briefing the media after the North Eastern Council (NEC) meeting here Pillai said: "For the talks with ULFA, we are in the process. We just last week convened a meeting with the DGP and Chief Secretaries and other officers in Delhi. We are working out a strategy for dealing with ULFA."

The 58th NEC meeting was held in Guwahati on February 9 to discuss plans for further development and maintaining of peace in the region.

The NEC meeting was convened at the Assam Staff Administrative College to study and finalize plans for the development of insurgency-affected region under the Centre's 'Vision 2020' plan.

The core issues of the meeting that was attended by politicians, bureaucrats and state governors, were insurgency, education and connectivity of the northeastern states.

Pillai said that the NSCN (IM) General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has proposed talks in April this year.

He also gave positive signs about having jailed ULFA leaders on the negotiating table. illai, who recently visited Myanmar, had successful talks for their cooperation in flushing out northeast militants within their territory.

"I had useful discussions with the Myanmar government and they have agreed for a coordinated action on the Indo- Myanmar border and hope that these operations would be done at the earliest," he added.

Besides peace in the region, the core issue of North Eastern Council meet was implementation of the Vision 2020 plan in the region.

Reducing poverty, improving education standards, road connectivity and bringing the remote areas of northeast states at par with the rest of the country is what Vision 2020 aims at. he North East Council has been allocated Rs 73.4 billion for the eleventh five-year plan.

"My proposal was that the eight states should each be given 10 percent of the funds and the rest 20 percent should be with the North East Secretariat which could be used to bridge that gap wherever necessary for the common interest," said Nephiu Rio, Chief Minister, Nagaland.Connectivity should be the number one. We should focus on river, road and rail connectivity. And without the road connectivity common man cannot benefit," said Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

In 1971, the North East Council was fromed by an act of Parliament. And, successful execution of development work by the Council has helped bring economic prosperity to the northeast states. By Peter Todd Alex (ANI)