DIMAPUR: NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) has opposed any unilateral or premature move towards oil, natural gas or mineral exploration in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) between Nagaland and Assam without the informed consent and participation of indigenous landowners and legitimate stakeholders.
In a statement issued by its Ministry of Information and Publicity, the NSCN-K said it recognised the Government of India’s aspiration to strengthen energy security, promote economic development and reduce dependence on imported hydrocarbons.
It also acknowledged the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 11, 2026 by the governments of India, Assam and Nagaland to facilitate exploration and development of oil, natural gas and other mineral resources in the Assam-Nagaland boundary areas.
However, the group said development could not come at the cost of constitutional safeguards, customary rights, historical claims and ownership rights of indigenous communities.
NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) said the DAB was part of a long-standing and unresolved inter-State boundary dispute. It claimed that surveys indicated the disputed belt extended over approximately 1,100 sq km along the 512-km Assam-Nagaland boundary, making ownership and jurisdiction particularly sensitive.
The group cited Article 371A(1)(a)(IV) of the Constitution, which provides protection concerning the “ownership and transfer of land and its resources” in Nagaland. It maintained that no administrative arrangement, inter-governmental understanding or development agreement should be interpreted as overriding the constitutional and customary rights of the Naga people.
NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) said any question concerning land and its resources should therefore be approached with constitutional, legal and historical sensitivity.
It also referred to recent concerns raised in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly regarding alleged oil survey and drilling activities near Hayiyan village under Bhandari subdivision in Wokha district, saying these highlighted the need for clarity over jurisdiction, consent and the precise status of disputed areas before any field activity proceeded.
The group called for no exploration, drilling, extraction or transfer of natural resources in the DAB without the informed consent of affected indigenous landowners and legitimate local stakeholders.
It said the unresolved Assam-Nagaland boundary dispute should not be treated as settled through an administrative or developmental arrangement, arguing that resource extraction should not create a de facto settlement of the unresolved territorial question.
On the June 11 tripartite MoU, NSCN-K (Khango-Vusshe) said it should be implemented strictly within the framework of the Constitution, customary law and the rights of indigenous landowners. Where such safeguards had not been adequately addressed, implementation should be kept in abeyance pending proper consultation and verification, it said.
The group also called on the governments of India, Assam and Nagaland to establish transparent mechanisms to determine the status of each proposed exploration site, ownership claims, environmental safeguards, compensation, royalty and benefit-sharing arrangements before drilling or extraction.
It stressed that the consent of the people should not be reduced to a procedural formality and that those who own, occupy and traditionally exercise customary rights over the land should have a meaningful voice in decisions concerning its resources.
While appreciating the Centre’s vision of transforming the Northeast into an engine of economic growth and strengthening India’s position as a global power, the NSCN-K said India’s rise should be founded on constitutionalism, justice and mutual respect and not at the expense of indigenous rights.
The group said the aspirations of the Naga people for roads, industries, employment, investment and economic prosperity had evolved, but development should not require them to surrender their “birthright”.
Referring to the Naga political struggle, the NSCN-K said the sacrifices of its martyrs in defence of the land should not be forgotten or allowed to go in vain. It said the Nagas had “endured enough” and were seeking an early political solution rather than merely a transactional business arrangement.
The group called upon the Nagaland government to exercise restraint, suspend contentious field activities and initiate a transparent consultation process with affected communities to resolve the underlying territorial and ownership questions before proceeding with exploration.
It warned that any eventuality arising from continued delay or failure to address the issue meaningfully would carry its own consequences, for which the Nagaland government would have to bear full responsibility. “The resources of the land must become a source of prosperity– not a new source of conflict,” the group said.
Saturday, September 12, 2026