NTC questions State Govt’s oil exploration agreement

May 2, 2023 53 Views No Comment

KOHIMA, MAY 2 (MExN): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has questioned why the Nagaland Chief Minister “rushed” to the Chief Minister of Assam and “agreed in principle to go ahead with oil exploration in areas along their disputed boundaries…. without the consent of the stakeholders thus confirming as disputed border area ourselves.”

“There always is a mechanism to resolve differences of all issues grounded on the principle, that ‘in every problem there is a solution and it starts from the grassroots’ provided the government takes care of the welfare of the state in general, and the people in particular and live in understanding so that peaceful atmosphere prevails,” a press release from the media cell of the NTC stated.

It informed that the NTC held its Executive Council and Advisors meeting at Dimapur on April 25 and deliberated on the proposed oil exploration in the State.

The NTC expressed concern on news reports regarding the CMs of Assam and Nagaland agreeing in principle to go for oil exploration in the disputed areas along the “dubious border line of the two sisterly states.”

Nagaland, it noted, is endowed with rich mineral wealth. “However, the huge mineral deposits and resources could not be explicitly explored and earn from our own internal resources towards self-sufficiency with one or the other reasons.

One such known hurdle is the boundary and border problems on the Assam side,” the NTC pointed out.

It maintained that Nagaland “always remains peaceful on the border but it is the counterpart Assam that always disputes Nagaland with artificial boundary line and continues to annex towards Naga land.” It said that on the basis of the 1875 boundary demarcation of Naga Hills District of Assam, the historical and traditional/ancestral boundary of Nagaland is far beyond the present claim of Assam which needs to be reclaimed immediately.

In this connection, the NTC cited point 12 of the 16-Point Agreement of 1960 which states: “The Naga delegation discussed the question of the inclusion of the Reserved Forests and of contiguous areas inhabited by Nagas. They were referred to the provisions in Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution, prescribing the procedure for the transfer of areas from one state to another.”

Reserved Forest means the Naga reserved forest transferred to Assam for administrative convenience, the NTC said.

“Agreement between GoI and the Naga people of Nagaland is agreement,” it stressed. However, it lamented that the historical records and the hard earned 16-Point Agreement of 1960 remains in cold storage for the last 60 years. “Once it is resolved, Nagaland can conveniently go for exploration of natural resources including oil without any hindrance. There cannot be a state without definite territory of land,” the NTC asserted.

The second major hurdle, it said, is the “defective” Nagaland Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulations, 2012 and Nagaland Petroleum & Natural Gas Rules, 2012 (NP&NG). The NTC said that in these Regulations and Rules, the rights, privileges and revenue sharing for the beneficiaries, including that of employment of the affected land owner/areas and block have been “deprived off.”

“Therefore, failing to listen to the cry of the people for rectification, there is a record that the Lotha Hoho, being the first affected tribe, filed a PIL in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench,” the NTC informed. It said that the Nagaland Government persuaded the LothaHoho to withdraw the PIL and then signed an MoU on November 20, 2018 on the condition that the grievances as expressed by the LothaHoho would be amended within six months.

“After that it became a Suo Moto case in the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench but lying unresolved till today. It would all be better that the State Government pursue the suo moto case in the High Court, before any other ultra-vires comes in, finalize the case and amend the defective regulation and rules before any wishful thinking for oil exploration,” the NTC advised.

The NTC recognized that it is the “goodness on the part of the State Government to maintain good relation and understanding with the neighbouring states.” However, it maintained that the State Government of Nagaland is “not subordinate to any other state government in the country including Assam.” So also is the Chief Minister of Nagaland, it said.