KOHIMA — Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday suggested the formation of a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary, technical experts and senior officials to go into detail about the project taken up by the Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) in Nagaland.
The Dergaon (Assam)-Dimapur-Kohima-Imphal GIS pipeline project, which will be executed by the IGGL and authorised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), got a NOC from the state government through the Border Magistrate, Merapani, on January 15 this year.
Replying to a query raised by Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLA Achumbemo Kikon on the IGGL project, on day 2 of the second session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) in Kohima, Rio said the committee once constituted should go into detail of the matter, discuss thoroughly and give its report within the time frame.
He added that Nagaland has rich oil and natural gas, coal and other mineral resources but the state government cannot extract them because of opposition from the tribal hohos and landowners.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Nagaland, though a state is like an ad hoc, he said, adding that the state government ‘touch’ the resources till the landowners and tribal hohos give clearance.
'We don't allow ourselves and others for development and have become a stumbling block of ourselves, depending only on the government,’ he said.
'Assam is taking the pipe through us to give it to us and beyond us,’ he added.
Responding to the query, the minister in-charge further said that the feasible GIS-based pipeline route passes through State Seed Farm Merapani and payment of compensation by the IGGL to the state government is in the process.
Agriculture minister G. Kaito Aye said that the design, material of construction, inspection, testing and safety aspect of operation and maintenance of the pipeline from Dimapur to Kohima is engineered primarily in accordance with the provisions of PNGRB (technical standards and specifications including safety standards for Natural Gas Pipelines) Regulations 2009.
Also read: 3 bills introduced on first day of Nagaland Legislative Assembly session