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Dr Imtiwapang Aier [/caption]
Mokokchung, November 11 : Parliamentary Secretary for Geology and Mining Dr Imtiwapang Aier rang alarm bell on Friday on the safety of Article 371 (A) after the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas filed a counter affidavit as one of the respondents in the case proceedings of NPNG 2012 in the Gauhati High Court Kohima bench on the PIL filed by the Lotha Hoho.
The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas continues to make a strong stand disagreeing that the state of Nagaland has any power to make law for the subject of development of oil field and mineral oil resources and that no resolution from the state of Nagaland is required to apply the parliament‘s law on oil field and mineral oil resources in the state of Nagaland.
The Ministry claimed in its affidavit that any existing law made by the state of Nagaland on oil fields and mineral oil resources is liable to be struck down, since it is without jurisdiction and ultra vires to the Constitution of India.
Interacting with media persons in Mokokchung, Dr Imtiwapang retaliated that Article 371 (A) was borne out of the 16-Point Agreement between the Government of India and the Naga People’s Convention and that Nagaland Petroleum & Natural Gas 2012 (NP&NG) Act was framed accordingly based on Article 371 (A).
He lamented that Nagaland was earlier under the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India and the grant-in-aid provided to the State under the Consolidated Fund of India was later revoked in contravention to the 16-Point Agreement. “If land and its resources (oil) also come under this scanner, then it will be devastating for the future of the Nagas,” he cautioned.
“If the Naga people fail to be ‘careful, we may become the lost tribe of India in the near future,” Dr Imtiwapang felt.
He was also of the view that if the issue is fought in the court of law then it will be a disaster for the people of Nagaland. Therefore, he suggested it should be made through a political settlement which will be a “win-win situation for both the State and the Centre”.
In this regard, the parliamentary secretary made a clarion call to the PIL petitioners to seriously deliberate on this issue and the Naga people to be united and support the State Government to fight for the rights of the Nagas.
It may be mentioned that in its order of 18.10.2015, the court ruled that Article 371 (A) requires further deliberation and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas be made necessary party to the present proceedings.
