Tzürangkong Senso Senden rejects oil exploration on Ao Naga ancestral land

Tzürangkong Range, located on the Assam-Nagaland border, is the ancestral land of the Ao Naga Community in Mokokchung District, Nagaland, the Tzürangkong Senso Senden declared in a statement. Strongly opposing attempts to allot the area for oil exploration and drilling by Vedanta, the Tzürangkong Senso Senden claimed that these actions are being carried out “without our knowledge and consent.”

The statement emphasized, “Tzürangkong Range is the ancestral traditional land belonging to the Ao Naga Community.” The community expressed concern over the involvement of the Assam government and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in facilitating this process. “It has come to our notice that the government of Assam, abetted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, is trying to allot our traditional ancestral land to Vedanta for exploration and drilling of oil without our knowledge and consent,” the Senden stated.

The incident that triggered the community’s response occurred on November 15, 2024, when officials from the Border Magistrate, District Forest Officer of Assam, representatives from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and Vedanta attempted to inspect the area. “The Border Magistrate, District Forest Officer of Assam, officials from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Vedanta were turned away from our area on 15th November 2024, who came for inspection of our area without our knowledge and consent for the purpose of exploration and drilling of oil,” the statement clarified.

The Tzürangkong Senso Senden asserted that no exploration, drilling, or extraction of natural resources would be allowed in the Tzürangkong Range without the knowledge, consent, and agreement of the Ao Naga community. “Therefore, in the Tzürangkong Range, without the knowledge, consent and valid agreement with the ancestral traditional land owners of the Ao Naga Community, no one will be allowed to explore, drill oil and extract natural resources,” the statement added.

MT