Dimapur, October 23 (MExN): Oil explorations in Champang by the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) remain an unpleasant experience and an “ugly memory,” Nagaland Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said today. The BJP said the government failed to check mismanagement and in the process the people and the government lost crores and the government now cannot afford to be lackadaisical.
Exploiting this, the BJP said, the ONGC randomly tapped out million tons of oil from Champang, did not bother about developing the area and then left the oil-rich land awash with spilled oil and damaged environment. The state government of Nagaland, then, stood by and watched with apathy, the BJP explained.
The BJP addressed an “open letter”, a copy received here, to the chief minister stating that the Nagaland government needs to have strong political will and strongly address major issues such as those related to oil and its exploration in Nagaland. “Individual assumptions or speculation have not very important role to play but the state government need to bring strong law to enforced in such major issues,” stated BJP general secretary Yambos Murry. The government’s ‘lackluster’ approach to this complexity may, in fact, the BJP cautioned, hamper the process of formulating modalities for oil exploration in the state.
“Oil exploration at Champang area by the ONGC was an unpleasant experience and an ugly memory. The then government’ failing to check the mismanagement of guidelines of oil exploration processed during the nineties was the reason behind the loss of crores (of) rupees of people and government revenue,” the BJP said.
“The ONGC did not care bother about the development of that area and left without settling the due share of Champang villagers. Even after the oil company left the areas, the state government did not pay any attention to check the oil spillage to protect the environment. Champang area villagers have sacrificed the entire oil-bearing land to ONGC for general interest that will support to create state revenue as well as the villagers’ economy,” the BJP said.
Caution was also made that no one has the right to misuse or misinterpret the article for personal or political interest.
The BJP has advised the Nagaland state government to lay a “strong effective guidelines before signing MoU to any reputed oil companies/firms especially on mineral resources including petroleum gas within the state.”
The party assures “any constructive policy” for development that would ‘benefit all citizens’. But the people of Nagaland are also appealed to, to play constructive roles without hampering development projects.
