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Dimapur, Sep. 15 (EMN): The Central Nagaland Students' Association (CNSA) has mooted the re-establishment of Tuli Railway Station and restoration of Tssori-Champang Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) oil wells as a means to not only provide employment opportunities but also increase revenue in the state.
Following a site visit, the CNSA held a joint meeting with the Tsudikong Town Council, Langpangkong Tsukong Mungdang and Langpangkong Students’ Conference on September 12 to discuss about re-establishing the passenger train service at Tuli Railway Station, the association said in a statement on Thursday.
According to the chairman of the Tsudikong Town Council, P Meren Jamir, the passenger train service had operated for three months in 2000–2001, but the railway station had been “abandoned and ignored even by the government for 37 years”.
“Since then, there has been no word from the government about efforts to maintain or revive the station,” it read.
“Since the station and train infrastructure are already in place and coal and stone chips are occasionally transported to Assam using the same rail track, the government must make efforts to revive the Tuli Railway Station,” it stated.
Meanwhile, CNSA also held a joint meeting with the Champang Village Council, Champang Students’ Union and Lower Lotha Range Students’ Union on September 13.
During the meeting, Chairman of the Champang Village Council, Nzanbemo, said that there were 33 oil wells in the area, out of which 28 were actively producing oil.
The chairman further stated that as a result of the ongoing drilling and oil extraction operations in the neighbouring state, the oil wells situated in the border region were becoming dormant and depleting.
“In order to prevent our resources from being drained by someone else, the village council and the student leaders urged the government of Nagaland to act quickly while also respecting the rights of the people,” it stated.
“Although the restoration of Tssori-Champang ONGC and Tuli Railway Station will help in generating revenue, provide employment and help the state government in many aspects, the government in turning a deaf ear and neglecting it for too long. Numerous appeals have been made by different organisations many times but no positive results have come up till date,” it read.
CNSA expressed hoped that the government will stop ‘turning its head away’ from such issues and start working on converting the state’s resources into revenue.