DIMAPUR, JUNE 27 (MExN): Former Deputy Speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Ralanthung Yanthan today stated that the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Lotha Hoho with regard to the NP&NG Rules and Regulations concerning oil exploration and extraction “seeks to rectify the faulty aspects of the Government’s undue claim of ownership of land and its resources in the modality and the NP&NG Rules and regulation, since it is contrary to the content and spirit of the constitutional provision enshrined in Article 371(A).”
A press note from the former NLA Deputy Speaker reminded that Article 371 (A) states that the land and its resources belong to the people and not the State Government. However, he observed that “in contrast, one finds in the modality on Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Rules and Regulation on NP&NG, the State government is listed as owner No.3 which is absolutely against Article 371(A) of the Constitution.”
“The other issue in the NP&NG that talk about revenue sharing and not royalty is also against the customary ownership of the people over their rights to their land and its resources that the LH’s PIL wisely seeks to rectify. This is precisely so because ‘Revenue’ denotes earnings of the Government and ‘Royalty’ denotes recognition of the people’s right over their land and its resources,” he said.
He further clarified that “I am not a party to it for the pure reason that I was not consulted and that am an individual who always uphold the sanctity of my tribe’s apex body at all times with all the limitations that may sometime occur due to unfortunate bad leadership at certain stages, which is also true to all organizations.”
“It is true that during our tenure in the ministry we had submitted a representation to the Cabinet Sub-committee a six point charter of demand in regard to the modality on NP&NG since we detected some anomalies, in which I affirmatively said that, if these demands are not met, I shall walk out of it and in which the point on revenue sharing suggested by us was not accepted,” he further revealed.
The former NLA Deputy Speaker concluded that “I cannot be a party to the news paper report that asks the Lotha Hoho to withdraw the PIL because I know that a PIL once admitted in a court of Law cannot be withdrawn…” He rather stated that the PIL is “very much in the interest of the Nagas as a whole even though other Naga populace may not understand the sanctity of the LH PIL.”
.JPG)
