LH says it will not withdraw PIL unless NP&NG is amended
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 21 (MExN): The Lotha Hoho (LH) today stated that it is “astonished” at the recent statement of the Parliamentary Secretary for Geology & Mining regarding the former’s PIL on the Nagaland Petroleum & Natural Gas (NP&NG) Rules and Regulations 2012.
The Parliamentary Secretary had stated that the PIL would amount to surrendering the provisions of Article 371 A of the Indian Constitution.
A press note from the Lotha Hoho stated that the Parliamentary Secretary has rightly pointed out that “coal and oil are for the socio economic development of the people. Therefore it must be utilised to our utmost abilities.” This, it stated, is exactly why the LH filed the PIL.
The Lotha Hoho said it is not against having the NP&NG Regulations & Rules 2012; but stated that the PIL seeks for review and amendment of some of the provisions of the Regulations and Rules 2012, “which are anti land owners, in spite of the provisions of Article 371 A, for ownership and transfer of land and its resources.”
The Lotha Hoho said that Nagas are keen to uphold the provisions of Article 371 A, but questioned why the Nagaland State Government “imposed CrPC 144 to launch the MoGPL at Tssori Champang, on the 21.7.2014, in violation of the provisions of Article 371A.” It informed that the Lotha Hoho had in this regard, submitted a memorandum to the NP&NG Board on June 25, 2014 requesting the State Government to reconsider the permit issued to MoGPL. However, it lamented that instead of responding to the memorandum, the State Government brought MoGPL to the worksite for launching exploration/extraction works on July 21.
It further reminded that when the Lotha Students’ Union went to raise its voice of dissent; “the state government imposed Section 144 CrPC, and prevented the students and people, from reaching the launching site.” It further alleged that “the Police, under cover of 144 CrPC, assaulted the student leaders, who tried to show their presence at the launching site.”
The Lotha Hoho contended that the MoGPL was launched without the consent or participation of the people. The PIL, it said “has in no way undermined the rights of the Nagas; but the PIL seeks to sustain the rights of the Nagas, under the said Article 371 A.”
It urged Nagas to understand that all the eleven listed oil zones of Nagaland will be affected eventually. “Do the Nagas mean to file individual PILs, only when it comes to your zone or should the NP&NG Rules and Regulations be streamlined, in a land-owners’ friendly manner, for all time to come?” it questioned. The Lotha Hoho further asked whether the leaders have read and understood the contents of the NP&NG Regulations and Rules 2012. “Instead of misleading the common Naga people, by blaming the LH, the elected Naga leaders need to understand that they are themselves Nagas and that the future of their children should not be bartered away for temporary gains,” it said.
On the Parliamentary Secretary’s call for negotiations, the Lotha Hoho asked that “if the State Government is willing to listen why did it turn a deaf ear to the 7 submissions, starting from 2008 to 2015.”
“Let the Nagas judge whether the Nagaland state government is ever willing to listen, when it had remained adamant to the submissions, of the Lotha people, starting from 15th July 2008 to 20th July 2015,” it stated The Lotha Hoho further questioned “whether the Lotha land (Wokha district) is to be made an experimental playground before actually executed in other places?” It lamented that the State Government did not even invite the LH to the NP&NG Board consultative meet of September 19, 2015. “With such attitude of the State govternment and under such circumstances; does any sensible Naga think that the landowner is protected under Article 371 A and whether the state govt is doing right to uphold the said Article?” it asked.
It requested elected Naga leaders to be “realistic and not to say or do anything that can mislead the common Naga public who are ignorant of the subject matter; but which would be a mockery to the honest Naga intellectuals.”
It further asserted that the Lotha Hoho will not withdraw its PIL, as long as the NP&NG Regulations and Rules 2012 is in its present form, which it stated would infringe and undermine the rights of the Naga land owners.
