Drawing attention to state government’s move to re-start talks on oil exploration in Nagaland at bureaucratic level, the Lotha Hoho (LH) Monday affirmed that the Lotha people would not allow exploration or extraction of petroleum or natural gas within its jurisdiction if carried out under the unamended Nagaland Petroleum & Natural Gas (NP&NG) Regulations and Rules 2012 (RR 2012).
In a press statement, Lotha Hoho chairman Er.Mhondamo Ovung and general secretary S Abenthung Ngullie said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the state government and the LH for amendment of NP&NG Regulations and Rules 2012.
After MoU was signed on November 20, 2018, LH said the Gauhati High Court Kohima bench had filed a suo motu PIL to examine the implications of the MoU.
LH said whether the suo motu PIL had been disposed off or not, the signed MoU has not been implemented so far.
Even if implemented, the LH said it had no knowledge, adding that it was, therefore, not known whether the NP&NG RR 2012 has been amended. “Does this long delay in amendment of the RR 2012, mean a nod that the LH should revive the PIL?” the hoho said.
Therefore, Lotha Hoho maintained that unless the MoU was implemented and NP&NG RR 2012 was amended as per agreed points, the Lotha people would not allow exploration or extraction of petroleum or natural gas within its jurisdiction under the unamended NP&NG RR 2012.