Nagaland upset after meeting central panel
Nagaland officials are unimpressed by their early October 2024 meeting with a high-level panel from Delhi seeking to revive E&P in the state.
On October 8 (2024), Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio hosted the panel in the state capital Kohima. Set up by the oil ministry on July 18 (2024), the panel's remit is to work towards setting up a refinery in Nagaland in line with the state's privileged status under the constitution and to set out clear exploration terms in the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB) along the state's disputed border with Assam.
Oil ministry additional secretary Praveen Khanooja chairs the panel, which includes Oil India chairman Ranjit Rath, ONGC director exploration Sushma Rawat and Vedanta's chief policy and regulatory officer Rakesh Agiwal. At first, the panel was slated to meet Nagaland officials on September 12-13 (2024), but the meeting was postponed to October 8 (2024) because of landslides on the Dimapur-Kohima highway.
"We expected the panel to come up with concrete proposals," says a disappointed Nagaland official. "Instead, it tried to impose its will."
Khanooja was accompanied by DGH adviser (geology and geophysics) Ujjal Ghosh and oil ministry joint secretary exploration Vinod Seshan. In public, the meeting appeared to be a great success, with Chief Minister Rio revealing the meeting with Rath on X, formerly Twitter.
"Signed an MoU for CSR activities between Oil India and Intanki Forest Development Agency," he wrote. "The initiative will help Intanki National Park become a model for sustainable development, conservation, community participation and eco-tourism."
A photo of Rio shaking hands with Rath accompanies the post. But in private, the response was less enthusiastic.
"Oil India's team tried to drown out everyone else," adds our source. "Rath was expected to meet the chief minister (Rio) and was surrounded by other officials; the chief minister said that in principle, the oil ministry should agree to set up a refinery and then (the state) will allow exploration."
He adds Rao said the oil ministry should also recognise Nagaland's special position in the constitution (under Article 371A)."