SENAPATI, AUG 27: The Song Song Village Authority (SSVA) has rejected the Viswema Village Council’s (VVC) claim over Mt Esii, asserting that the mountain is the ancestral domain of Song Song village and Ememai.
In a press release issued today, the SSVA said it had taken note of a social media circular dated July 21 claiming that Mt Esii falls under the jurisdiction of Viswema village in Kohima district.
The SSVA said it had already rejected the claim through a press release on July 26, maintaining that Mt Esii had been inherited by Song Song village and Ememai through generations under their customary law, oral history and traditional heritage.
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However, the VVC, in a letter dated August 18 addressed to the SSVA, again claimed that Mt Esii had been in its possession “since time immemorial” and even before the establishment of Song Song village, the SSVA said.
The VVC has also invited the SSVA for a “friendly face-to-face discussion” at Viswema on August 29.
The SSVA, however, said the proposed meeting would serve no purpose, claiming there was no scope for a fruitful outcome.
It said the ownership of Mt Esii had never been disputed or questioned by any tribe or entity until the present claim.
The SSVA termed the VVC’s claim “ridiculous and untenable” and said it was reiterating its position as an “ultimate clarification” that Mt Esii remains the ancestral domain of Song Song village and Ememai and shall remain so.
