THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025
On Oil and Natural Gas in Nagaland and Its Impact
Published on Apr 19, 2025
By EMN
Share
- 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.
-
- Dr. Thungdemo Kyong
- Social Activist
- Team Metamorphosis
Nagaland Districts
