NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) opposes oil, gas and mineral exploration in the Assam-Nagaland Disputed Area Belt without informed consent of indigenous landowners and stakeholders.
DIMAPUR — The NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) has opposed any unilateral or premature move to undertake oil, natural gas or mineral exploration in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) between Nagaland and Assam, asserting that such activities must not proceed without the informed consent and participation of indigenous landowners and legitimate local stakeholders.
In a press release, the group said the Assam-Nagaland boundary remains unresolved and warned that resource extraction should not be allowed to create a de facto settlement of the territorial dispute.
It called on the governments of India, Assam and Nagaland to establish transparent mechanisms to determine the status of proposed exploration sites, ownership claims, environmental safeguards, compensation, royalty and benefit-sharing arrangements before any drilling or extraction begins.
The NSCN-K (KV) also called upon the Nagaland government to exercise restraint, suspend contentious field activities and initiate consultations with affected communities before proceeding with exploration.
The group acknowledged the Government of India’s objective of strengthening energy security, promoting economic development and reducing dependence on imported hydrocarbons.
It also noted the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 11, 2026, between the governments of India, Assam and Nagaland to facilitate exploration and development of oil, natural gas and other mineral resources in the Assam-Nagaland boundary areas.
However, the NSCN-K (KV) maintained that the MoU must be implemented strictly within the framework of the Constitution, customary law and the rights of indigenous landowners.
It said no administrative arrangement or development agreement should be interpreted as overriding constitutional and customary rights.
The group cited Article 371A (1) (a) (IV) of the Constitution, which provides special constitutional protection in Nagaland concerning the ownership and transfer of land and its resources.
It argued that any decision involving land and its resources must therefore be approached with constitutional, legal and historical sensitivity.
The group further pointed to recent concerns raised in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly over alleged oil survey and drilling activities near Hayiyan village under Bhandari subdivision in Wokha district, saying the developments highlighted the need for clarity on jurisdiction, consent and the status of disputed areas.
According to the group, surveys indicate that the DAB extends across approximately 1,100 square kilometres along the 512-km Assam-Nagaland boundary, making questions of ownership and jurisdiction particularly sensitive.
The NSCN-K (KV) said consent from affected communities should not be reduced to a procedural formality. Indigenous landowners and those exercising traditional and customary rights, it maintained, must have a meaningful role in decisions concerning resources beneath their land.
While expressing support for economic development and the transformation of the Northeast into an engine of growth, the group said development should advance alongside protection of indigenous rights. It stressed that the Naga people’s aspirations for roads, industries, employment and investment should not come at the cost of their land and inherited rights.
The NSCN-K (KV) also linked the issue to the broader Naga political struggle, stating that the sacrifices of Naga martyrs should not be forgotten and calling for an early political solution rather than what it described as a merely transactional business arrangement.
It warned that any eventuality arising from continued delay or failure to meaningfully address the issue would carry consequences for which the Nagaland government should bear responsibility.
“The resources of the land must become a source of prosperity—not a new source of conflict,” the group stated.