Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 29
Nagaland Minister for Planning & Coordination, TR Zeliang, today said that the economy of Nagaland state has remained stagnant as the state could not exploit its rich resources and potentiality for a long time.
Addressing the annual session of the Lotha Lower Range Public Organization (LLRPO) at Lotha Hoho Ki, Dimapur, as the chief guest, the Minister said that districts like Wokha, Peren, Mon and Dimapur are “most potential areas” in terms of natural resources like petroleum but that these resources have not been utilized judiciously.
Zeliang who is also Convenor of the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) on petroleum and natural gas, however assured that the state government was all out to protect the interest and welfare of the landowners with regard to exploration and extraction of petroleum in Nagaland.
Dwelling on the theme of the session “Socio-economic development”, the Minister said that the CSC and state government was very much aware of the clause in Article 371 (A) of the Indian Constitution with its safeguard that the “land and its resources belong to the people” in the context of Nagaland.
With regard to oil extraction in the state, Zeliang asserted that the people or landowners should get the “lion’s share.” He however requested the LLRPO, under whose jurisdiction the Champang oil field falls, to be patient as the CSC has to take into consideration all factors relating to oil exploration in a state which falls under Article 371 (A).
“If we start something wrong today, it will be wrong forever”, the Minister said in reference to delay in bringing out modalities for oil exploration in Nagaland, entrusted to the CSC. “Let us know the real situation and be patient. Let us not proceed haphazardly like in the past”, the Minister said and reminded that the state assembly, based on recommendation of the CSC, had passed a resolution in 2010 affirming that the “land and its resources belong to the people” as enshrined in Article 371 (A) in the context of Nagaland.
In the context of Article 371 (A), the Minister also said that Nagas should blame themselves and not the Centre or others for diluting the 16 Point agreement that led to formation of Nagaland state. Citing an example, Zeliang said that three CSC constituted earlier on oil exploration in Nagaland had not yielded any results due to “ignorance” or short sightedness of the Naga people.
With regard to oil exploration in Nagaland, the Minister said that despite the safeguard of Article 371 (A), the ONGC had taken advantage and extracted oil from Champang area in Wokha district for 12 years without giving the mandatory monthly accounting to the state government.
“For 12 years we were kept in the dark. In 1994, when we finally stopped oil extraction in Nagaland, they (ONGC) said they extracted 1.2 million tonnes petroleum from Champang,” Zeliang said and added that the actual extraction might have crossed 5 million metric tonnes.
Giving an optimistic view about oil prospects in Nagaland, the minister hoped that with the safeguard of Article 371 (A), Nagaland state would like to make a fresh start to bring economic boom to the state that has been dependent so far on the largesse of Delhi.
Parliamentary Secretary for Prisons and Home Guards, W Kithan, also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, president of LLRPO, Yingashumo Kithan, in his address urged the CSC convenor and his team to expedite the modalities so that the oil extraction in Champang can be carried out to bring economic boom to the area.
