DIMAPUR, DEC 4 (MExN): With private oil companies successfully undertaking exploration works in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, top ONGC officials from Delhi are rushing to Kohima to meet Lotha Hoho officials in a bid to stay in course for oil exploration rights in Nagaland, it was informed. According to highly placed sources, ONGC representatives DK Pandey, Director Exploration and Balian, Director Personnel will be meeting Lotha Hoho officials along with State government representatives to look into the feasibility of ONGC beginning exploration works again in the Changpang oil fields. Additional Chief Secretary Lalthara and other top officials of the Directorate of Geology & Mining are expected to be present during the meeting in Kohima tomorrow, sources informed The Morung Express.
It is also learned that Canoro, a Canadian-based international oil and gas company operating in the prolific Assam/Arakan basin of northeast India is in consultation with the State Government “to work out modalities in a manner, which will benefit the people as a whole”. The Canadian company is already operating in Amguri, Assam bordering Nagaland.
With Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently revealing that petroleum development would be taken up again as soon as land problems have been sorted out, the stakes are high with mining operations in the oil-rich western belt of the State expected to bring in rich returns for those who have a stake in it. However, nothing has yet been finalized with the oil companies in this regard, highly placed sources revealed.
Geological studies suggest that Nagaland is a storehouse of rich minerals such as those belonging to the Platinum Group Elements (metals even more expensive than gold) found in the Ophiolite belt which stretches for a few hundred kilometres. The Nagaland government’s fly in the ointment are landowners, underground organizations and activists who are averse to the idea
The Lotha Hoho it may be mentioned had earlier taken the stand that it would not allow the Oil and Natural Gas Company to extract oil from Lotha areas. Besides accruing benefits for the community, one of the other demands of the Lotha Hoho was that oil refineries, if established, are to be located in Nagaland.
Whether the Lotha Hoho alone will be able to decide on oil exploration is however been doubted by sources in the mass-based civil society group. It may be mentioned that the powerful students’ organization NSF had stopped the ONGC activities in Nagaland. One million tons of oil was extracted from Changpang in Wokha District during the years 1981-1994 by the ONGC. The NSF stand has been that any terms offered to the State should be ‘acceptable, honourable and beneficial to the people.’
According to records available, the ONGC was granted Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) in the early seventies and in the process of surveying struck oil in the early 1980’s. However, even after getting oil in some block, the ONGC failed to obtain the mandatory Petroleum Mining Lease (PML) from the State government saying it was still under trail stage. This went on till 1993, for 8 years, which created suspicion in the minds of the Naga public, for which the NSF stopped the exploration saying ONGC will not be allowed to explore as it was “exploiting the resources”.
