Launching of oil exploration in Peren district opposed

EMN Dimapur, September 20 Civil organizations from Peren district have opposed the launching of exploration by Metropolitan Oil & Gas Pvt. Ltd (MOGPL) in Peren district on September 22 at Old Jalukie village. The Zeliang Mipui Maadi (Women Organization) Nagaland extended full support and cooperation to the decision and stand of the Peren District Petroleum and Natural Gas Bearing Belt Landowners’ Union (PDPNGBBLOU) against the proposed launching of exploration by Metropolitan Oil & Gas Pvt. Ltd (MOGPL). “The concern expressed by the PDPNGBBLOU is genuine in as much as there are apparent lapses that overshadow the expected benefit of the majority landowners more so, attempt of achieving temporal gain by few avaricious individuals in connivance with their political masters who are soundly greedier at the expense of the community in particular and the people of the district as well as Nagaland in general is illogical and therefore non-tolerable,” said a statement issued by Media Cell Zeliang Mipui Maadi. “Voicing out against a wrong policy is not to be misconstrued but appreciated with the intention of rectification for the welfare of our future generation. Otherwise, the way affairs are being managed by the present government implies governance devoid of good sense but blinded by greed, only focused to benefit a handful of stakeholders, which totally is off the purview of a welfare government. Does the bell ring then?” In a separate release, the Zeliang Students’ Union questioned as to how immense the landowners in particular and the native Zeliang people of Peren district in general are expected to be benefited in the management of affairs by forcefully actualizing the oil and natural gas exploration “even if the government can be claiming tall of its ill-gotten benefits through an ill-timed pre-production permit issuance before signing an agreement and that only after a lapse of about four months chose to hand-pick some irrationally, naïve and acquisitive individuals who so gullibly accomplished the most infamous agreement to delight their political master.” The proposed launching of exploration by the Metropolitan Oil & Gas Pvt. Ltd (MOGPL) in Peren district on September 22 ‘is purely abominable, against the wishes of the Zeliang people, and shall, therefore, go down the history as total sell-out of rights at the cost of our future generation.” The union in a release said, the boycott called by Peren District Petroleum and Natural Gas Bearing Belt Landowners’ Union (PDPNGBBLOU) in this context is prudent and indispensable and urged all sensible people to voice out, no matter how marginal the quantum in numbers and figures may be, against such superfluous policy of the government in order to be proudly answerable to future generation. The Zeliang Students’ Union Nagaland committed to sustain the unadulterated cause of the PDPNGBBLOU. Further, the Ngwalwa Students Union appreciated the initiatives of Peren District Petroleum and Natural Gas Bearing Belt Land Owners Union for undertaking an ‘important and decisive’ role that benefits the welfare of the general public. The president and general secretary on behalf of Ngwalwa Students Union requested the chairman of Old Jalukie and Old Beisumpui to withdraw their signatories from any agreement and work cohesively under the banner of PDPNGBBLOU and adhere to the "deed of agreement" signed on May 19 2014, without being bias for the sake of the future generations in Peren District. The Ngwalwa Students Union, in the interest of the landowners wondered as to why the Government of Nagaland granted the free production permit, vide no GN-5/N(P&G)-32/2008/ Dated 28th February 2014 to MOGPL without prior consultation with the landowners. The Union further requested the concerned authority/government to stop the hasty launching programme of MOGPL on September 22nd and first look into the genuine grievances put forwarded by PDPNGBBLOU for the interests of the landowners and the general public as a whole. The Union hoped that the government of Nagaland would formulate a plan in systematic perfection, that doesn't infringe the rights and privileges of the Nagas as a whole.