Hurdles before Assam-Nagaland border oil exploration | Explained
The story so far: A tripartite agreement among the Central, Assam, and Nagaland governments on June 11 to resume oil and gas exploration along the
The story so far: A tripartite agreement among the Central, Assam, and Nagaland governments on June 11 to resume oil and gas exploration along the disputed 512-km border between the two States has elicited sharp reactions. Extremist organisations in a ceasefire agreement and traditional tribe-based organisations said New Delhi should first ensure an honourable settlement of the “Indo-Naga political issue” and resolve the boundary issue before giving shape to the agreement. What is the tripartite agreement about? Petroleum experts believe Nagaland, estimated to have 600 million tonnes of oil and natural gas reserves, has the potential to increase India’s onshore oil production by 75%. Exploration in the State, particularly along its resource-rich border with Assam, was halted in the 1990s due to extremism and opposition from local organisations. On June 11, a tripartite agreement was inked to resume oil and gas exploration along the 512-km border shared by the two States. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri thanked Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio for “rising above differences” to chart the way forward for the region and the country. It was a reference to the bitter, decades-old border dispute between the two States and an acknowledgement that exploring oil and gas in about 1,000 sq. km (Oil India Limited said it has an exploration acreage of 3,000 sq. km in Nagaland) of the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) along the Assam-Nagaland border was crucial for India to reduce imports. The country imports crude oil and natural gas to meet more than 88% and 50% of its domestic requirements, respectively. Underlining the importance of the DAB, Mr. Puri said oil and gas production in Nagaland after 31 years would power the next chapter of India’s energy journey from the northeast, which gave birth to the oil industry in the country. He also said Nagaland’s significant hydrocarbon potential in the Naga-Schuppen Belt of the Assam-Arakan Basin would augment production in Assam, which accounts for nearly 22% of India’s crude oil reserves and about 15% of the country’s natural gas reserves. Nagaland-based organisations, however, do not share his optimism. Why are these organisations opposed to exploration? One of the first to react to the tripartite agreement was the Working Committee of the Naga Political Groups (WC-NNPGs), a conglomerate of seven extremist outfits that signed the Agreed Position with the Centre in November 2017.
The conglomerate said the Agreed Position was intended to pave the way for a permanent settlement of the “Indo-Naga political issue”. It reminded the Centre of a clause in the Agreed Position, which says that the Nagaland Tatar Hoho (Members of Parliament) will legislate on the ownership and transfer of land and its resources, including mines, minerals, oil and natural gas, while the governments of India and Nagaland will jointly handle radioactive elements, which have national security relevance and implications. “This implies a post-solution Nagaland government, and unless the Indo-Naga political settlement is officially signed across the table, any attempt to explore natural resources in Naga areas anywhere is illegal and against the agreed principles,” the WC-NNPGs said. On the other hand, organisations of the Lotha and Konyak Nagas focused on the border dispute and sought clarity on the DAB and other border issues to safeguard Nagaland’s territorial integrity. The Konyak Union also urged the government to address the concerns, respect the rights, and take the consent of the landowners before finalising the decision on exploration to ensure a fair, transparent, and acceptable outcome for all stakeholders. Various organisations, including the Nagaland Tribes Council, reacted similarly in April 2023 when Mr. Sarma and Mr. Rio agreed in principle to facilitate oil and gas exploration along the disputed interstate border. What is the Indo-Naga political issue? It refers to the Centre’s peace process with Naga extremist groups in Nagaland and Naga-inhabited areas in other northeastern States, primarily Manipur. Naga nationalism, stoked when the British rulers made the Naga Hills a part of Assam in 1866, took a formal shape in 1929 when the Naga Club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission, demanding that the Nagas should be allowed to determine their own future. In June 1947, the Governor of Assam signed the Nine-Point Agreement with the Naga Council (NNC), a foundational political organisation formed to unite Naga tribes and advocate for Naga independence. The agreement granted the Naga Hills region judicial, executive, and legislative autonomy, but with a contested clause requiring renegotiation or extension after ten years. While the NNC interpreted this as an implied path to sovereignty, New Delhi viewed it as a routine renegotiation within the Indian Union. Demanding complete sovereignty, the NNC launched an armed movement in the 1950s. The Indian government responded by enacting the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, to contain insurgency.
The BriefWire