Newmai News Network Tamenglong | March 7 The Zeliangrong people have affirmed to protect and safeguard the land and natural resources in ‘Zeliangrong areas’. This affirmation was adopted in a four-point resolution during a public meeting which was jointly organized by Zeliangrong Baudi (Assam, Manipur and Nagaland), Zeliangrong Youth Front (ZYF) and Zeliangrong Student’s Union (ZSU) at Luangba (Nungba) on March 3. “The villager chiefs/chairmen, land owners and villagers in collaboration and consultation with the leaders of Zeliangrong civil society organizations particularly Zeliangrong Baudi, Zeliangrong Youth Front and Zeliangrong Students’ Union shall protect and safeguard the land and natural resources of Zeliangrong people which have been inherited from our ancestors from any kind of exploitation,” the four-point resolution read. “No village, chief, chairman, land owner, organization or individual is authorized to sale or lease or issue/grant permit any portion of village land to any company/agency or any outsider without the consensus decision of Zeliangrong people,” it added. In this connection, the resolution strongly condemned certain organizations “for giving away the so called permit without any authority” to carry out oil exploration and 2D Seismic Survey and other activities in Zeliangrong areas to M/s Asian Oilfield Services Limited for one year without the knowledge and consent of the village chiefs/khunbus/chairman/khullak/village authority/land owners, villagers and community in general. As such, the resolution declared the permit given to M/s Asian Oilfield Services Limited as “unauthorized” and “invalid with immediate effect” and demanded that any plans to drill or explore oil and gas without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous people of Tamenglong district be immediately stopped. “MoUs or agreements or contracts executed or signed for production sharing and exploration licenses given by the Government of India, the Government of Manipur to oil companies like Oil India Limited, Jubilant Energy and Asian Oilfield Services Limited should be revoked immediately,” it added.