ONGC may return to Nagaland after 15 years

Fifteen years after it pulled out of Nagaland due to militancy, state-owned oil exploration major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has made a fresh bid to resume its operations.

ONGC had to pack off from Nagaland in 1994 due to threats from militant organisations, especially from NSCN (I-M) and several other tribal organisations. The company is presently holding negotiations with the Nagaland government for resumption of its operations in the state, sources informed. 

The company recently submitted a white paper on the resumption of E&P activities to the Nagaland government. “Based on the white paper, an MoU has been submitted to the Nagaland government for consideration,” a company release stated. To facilitate free flow of information and better coordination, the company opened a liaison office in Dimapur, the main town of Nagaland. “Unlike the previous stint, this time we expect the state government will be able to provide adequate security to our infrastructure, machines and employees,” said a senior official.   

The company, he said, had invested more than Rs 100 crore in infrastructure and machineries in the state before pulling out. The company, he said, aims at exploring the oil-rich western Nagaland. ONGC had earlier carried out exploration works in Nagaland’s Wokha district.  

Surveys suggest that the North Eastern state of Nagaland has more than 600 million tonnes of oil reserve.