Denying the claim of Lotha Hoho (LH) that the Lotha legislators had submitted memorandum to the state government in 2008 on oil issue, the Nagaland home minister Y.Patton and three former legislators from Lotha community have urged the hoho not to mislead people with wrong information.
In a joint press statement, home minister Y.Patton, former minister Dr. Chumben Murry, former deputy speaker RalanthungYanthan and former parliamentary secretary Er. W. Kithan said while the matter of petroleum and natural gas issue was sub judice as a result of the PIL filed by members of Lotha Hoho on the matter, they said a clarification of the Lotha legislators of the 11th NLA (2008-13) was being issued to allay any confusions or misunderstanding that may have resulted.
The signatories pointed out that as all the four legislators of the district were in the treasury bench of the government then, the Lotha community raised hopefulness that its legislators would take good initiatives and leadership for all round development of the district and in particular, to revive exploration and extraction of oil in the district.
Accordingly, they said on this issue of oil exploration and extraction, multiple meetings were held with the Lotha gazetted officers’ union, the Kyong Hoho and its frontal units, LLRPO, Kohima and Dimapur Lotha Hohos, Kyong students’ union, the concerned land owners etc.
After deliberations, they said consensual points specially related to installation of mid downstream facilities and protection of the rights of the landowners in terms of rehabilitation, employment and land use were hammered out.
“These were summarized into a concise charter and a DO Letter was written to the Principal Secretary Department of Geology and Mining; Govt. of Nagaland on 15th July 2008 by the four Legislators on behalf of the Lotha Community (barely four months after the formation of the 11th House of the NLA),” they stated.
They also highlighted how the Nagaland P&NG Regulations 2012 was passed in the Assembly on September 22, 2012 and the Nagaland P&NG Rules 2012 was framed and notified on December 7, 2012 after a process of consultations involving Tribal hohos.
Following laying of the draft Regulations for discussion, they said Lotha community leaders raised points of shortfalls and for inclusion in the Regulations.
Therefore, the signatories said a meeting of Wokha district legislators, Lotha gazetted officers’ union, Kyong Hoho, LLRPO, Kohima Lotha Hoho, Dimapur Lotha Hoho, CLOU, Kyong Eloe Hohoand Kyong Students’ Union was convened on September 9, 2012 at Hotel Japfu.
At that meeting, they said a five-point charter of demands were filtered and agreed upon by raise of hands and the same with appended signatures were submitted to Convener Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) on oil the same night.
They said CSC convener was very receptive as all the demands made were duly taken into consideration except revenue sharing, which the convener purportedly said was done after much research and rates laid were minimum and base point subject to variability on bidding.
After all those participatory approach, they said many Lothas were taken by surprise by the PIL. “Let it be known that the present PIL is not a conscious decision of Lotha Tribe but a decision of a handful of people from the Tribe…” the signatories asserted. In the light of the above, the signatories urged the Lotha Hoho to withdraw the PIL on P&NG as it tantamount to challenging the constitutional authority of Nagaland Legislative Assembly as provided under Article 371 A.