Dimapur, January 10 (MExN): Adding to woes over the Champang oil exploration wrangling, ‘miscreants’ set fire to a number of oil wells in Champang. Informing this, the Champang Village Council has termed it as an attempt to “sabotage of oil wells.” The timely action of village council members and public with the police brought the fires under control, the council stated in a note issued by its chairman, Longshithung Kithan.
‘This attempt is a handywork of few individual in hand and glove with the Canoro Resources Ltd the fire on the oil well is seemingly a mediated plan to get the entry to ONGC Ltd in the pretext of putting off the fire’ the chairman stated adding that this directly would have created an entry point to Changpang oil field.
Mentioning the ADC notice suspending the village council chairman and the government canceling some mining leases issued by the chairman, the council speculated that “miscreants might have been instigated to take such an action in this background to create security concern and effectuate the eviction of the villagers the state government mining lease have such a clause for ONGC Ltd and to take control of the oil field.”
It was informed that oil fields will be guarded by village guards round the clock and adequate security measures have been taken to ensure the “safety of the oil wells.” The council is investigating the matter, the chairman stated, and “soon the culprit will be handed over to the authority.”
