BS reported that 15 years after it pulled out of Nagaland due to militancy, oil exploration major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has made a fresh bid to resume its operations.

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

Senior official said 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. 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.

Official said it had invested more than INR 100 crore in infrastructure and machineries in the state before pulling out. It aims at exploring the oil rich western Nagaland. ONGC had earlier carried out exploration works in Nagaland’s Wokha district.

Surveys said that the North Eastern state of Nagaland has more than 600 million tonne of oil reserve

(Sourced from Business Standard)