In 1973, the ONGC acquired a Petroleum Exploration License
(PEL) from the India’s Ministry of Petroleum to explore Oil and natural Gas in
Champang and Tssori in Wokha district. However, the ONGC took undue advantage
of the goodness of the Naga’s nature by extracting EXCESS to the measure of
limit permitted by the Ministry of Petroleum. Actually, the PEL permitted the
ONGC 18000 litres of Oil and 26 cubic meters of Natural Gas per day as samples
for experimental basis. However, a data on exploration provided by the ONGC and
the data provided by the department of Geology and Mining, Government of
Nagaland, mismatched sharply, showing that the ONGC has extracted far in excess
of the limit it agreed upon. As a matter of fact, the concerned community or
land owners were not even informed or consulted about the exploration which was
a clear violation on exploration by the national and international laws on the
rights of the Indigenous people. Reports also revealed that ONGC has extracted
1.04 Million Tonnes of Oil from March 1991 till May 1994. Therefore, after
numerous protests from many concerned organisations and the citizens, the
government of Nagaland in May 1994 withdrew the exploration permit granted to
the ONGC.
Now the ONGC paid to the state government of Nagaland an
amount of INR 33.83 crore only as accrued royalty, out of which only INR 67.57
lakh in 2003 were distributed to the Oil bearing land owners and the villages
of Champang and Old Tssori village by the Nagaland government through the
supervision of the Wokha district administration. It has also been revealed
that the ONGC even made a deal with a Canadian company; Canoro Resources Ltd,
for sale of 20-30 percent of its stake in exploration blocks in Nagaland where
it had six blocks at that time. The ONGC should also be reprimanded for being
notorious and for this act of treachery too though it did not materialise.
The Hindu reported that India has imported 232.5 Million
Tonne of Crude Oil in 2023 – 2024 showing an increase of 87.7%.
The New Indian Express has reported that India imported
242.4 Million Tonne in the FY 2025. The data also showed that the India’s Crude
Oil import dependency increased from 88.6% to 89.1% in March 2025
ExImpedia shows that the countries that exports Oil to India
are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, where India
imports almost 90% of its Oil needs. Back home, to make the matter worst
India’s Oil and Gas production has yet fallen again in the fiscal year
2024-2025 according to a report by the Economic Times
The Sentinal Assam has reported that Assam contributes 15%
percent of the Country’s Crude Oil needs and 14% the Natural Gas. The Times of
India has also reported that in the past 12 years, Assam has made a cumulative
profit of INR 3.3 lakh crore where the State government through Rakesh Dwivedi
informed the Supreme Court that the Union controlled Oil has not been willing
to pay even the 0.6% as tax to the state chargeable on 6,639 Sq KM land
operated by them, that INR 1894 crore including on Principal tax has which been
due from the Oil India and the ONGC from 2005 till 2022.
Nagaland shares a boundary of 512.1 Kilometers or 318.2
Miles long with its neighbour Assam where most of it has boundaries with Mon
district, Mokokchung district, Wokha district etc. The Oil and Natural Gas
reserves in our own state are being ignored. Meanwhile, the sun does not set in
our neighbouring state Assam where the extraction of these resources are
active.
30 Years has passed since the ONGC has been banned from any
further activity leaving bare and naked the Oil wells due to which enough
damage has been done even to the environment.
To Nagaland, the nearest active Oil well is located at the
dispute area sector “B” where the ONGC is actively drilling which is located in
Golaghat district which is just a few KM away from Wokha Nagaland border, of
late the ONGC has also been awarded again at the dispute area “A” sector. Even
the OIL is said to have acreage in Nagaland. How can we remain mute when our
capacity is being ignored and our resources made to be stolen by the bullies
when our own government has remained silent for so long? Our ancestors have
never been beggers and we will not either; we will rise up, we will work and
explore and we will become self reliant and will contribute to the growth of all.
Discoveries have already declared about the abundant presence of Oil and
natural Gas in Mon, Mokokchung, Peren, Chumoukedima, Niuland and Wokha
districts.
For how long can we remain as a dumb and silent spectator
when the resources of our posterity are being stolen by bullies right under our
eyes in broad daylight? When India has been importing almost 90% of its Oil
needs from foreign countries our own wells are being sucked by notorious
bullies, which the central government is totally aware of. How can the
Government of India be so irresponsible?
The State government’s burden in providing jobs to its
responsible and educated citizens could also have been eased to a great extend
as enough jobs could have been created for both Nagas and non-Nagas (though maximum
jobs are obviously to be given to the Nagas for being the legitimate owners) as
guaranteed by both the national and international laws to the indigenous people
and land owners, meanwhile, earning enough to the State’s exchequer had the
exploration of the Oil and Natural gas been carried out in a rational manner.
That the government had remained silent for so long, has Wokha district been
the only loser? Definitely had the exploration of the Oil and Natural gas been
carried out in a rational manner. That the government remained silent for so
long, has Wokha district been the only loser? Definitely not.
Dear esteemed fellow Nagas, we cannot tolerate any longer
and the only option for us perhaps will be aggression because we have been
bullied for many decades taking our simplicity and calmness for granted under
the principle and authority of Democracy. In a country like India, can we
really have faith on the government to give us justice? Its greed seems to know
no bounds. The judiciary is almost controlled by the politicians and cases are
being dragged sometimes even for decades. Taking advantage of our ignorance and
simple nature our future is snatched from our hands. Posterity will curse us
from not even protecting our legitimate rights, for not standing up like real
men. Let the posterity of those who shy away today curse you, Curse you for
being a traitor and for being a coward.
Let us remember ‘we are not the same anymore’; our younger
generations are educated, well equipped and ready to put their hands into what
they have learned over the years from the premium universities, under the
guidance of the best and most renowned professors. Back home, with our limited
intellect we should not undermine or forget them; we have to pave ways for them
so that we can all witness Nagaland growing and becoming a leading state
contributing towards the growth of our nation.
