A leaking drilling point of an oil pipe of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is pictured in Changpang village, some 120 kms away from Wokha district of India's north eastern state of Nagaland on September 9, 2011. Large amount of crude oil leaking from an improperly capped oil well has affected the surrounding environment,as well as villagers' lives. The ONGC shut down its drilling of the crude oil due to social unrest in 1994. An estimated geological reserve of 110 million barrels of oil with a recoverable reserve of approximately 1,600 barrels per day is reportedly available in the Changpang village oil fields.
Guwahati, Sep 13 : Public sector oil giant ONGC’s decision to stopped extraction of oil about 16 years back under threat from rebels, has turned out to be costly for villagers of Champang and Tisso in Wokha district of Nagaland. This in effect is the contention in a PIL filed at the Gauhati High Court against the company.
The oil that has been spilling from those capped rigs for years have taken a heavy toll on the quality of land on these villages causing damage to the agrarian economy. Taking serious note of the grave situation, Dice Foundation, a Kohima-based NGO, has filed a PIL at Gauhati high court. "We have sought compensation of Rs 1,000 crore. We hope justice is done," said Mmhonlumo Kikon, heading the NGO.
Asking for Rs. 1, 000 Crore compensation for villagers, criminal proceedings against ONGC, government officials, the PIL primarily argued that ONGC authorities and the Nagaland state government was responsible for the wide-ranging damage the oil company has inflicted on the economic lives of villagers in and around the site.
In the PIL representing Champang village and Tssori village – Nagaland’s only two areas rich in crude petroleum – the petitioners have sought the consolidated compensation to the villagers for the damage caused due to about 16 years of unabated oil spillage in the two areas.
The petitioner has also sought payment for the loss of oil from the oil spill and a directive to the ONGC and the state government of Nagaland to clean up the waste.
The PIL names ONGC, the Basin Manager of ONGC, Cinnamara in Jorhat, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, the State of Nagaland, the Nagaland Geology and Mining Department, Nagaland Forest Department, the Nagaland State Pollution Control Board and the Union of India represented by the Ministry of Petroleum and another, the Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
The oil spill began after the ONGC halted extraction operation in May 1994 following opposition to oil production by Naga organizations. The ONGC had struck oil in the area in 1981 and started extraction of crude oil from 11 wells. But local bodies and militants opposed the ONGC operation on the ground that consent of local bodies was not taken for the purpose though the ONGC had signed an agreement with Nagaland government.
The petitioners accused the respondents for failing to take action and prevent and protect the environment and ecological system in the two villages. The petitioners have appealed to the court to protect the legal and fundamental rights of the people of Champang and Tssori by declaring the actions/inaction of the respondents as illegal and unconstitutional.
The petitioners appealed to the court for about Rs. 1, 000 crore as consolidated compensation to the villagers for damage to their health, economy, agricultural land and activities due to the oil spill. Citing media reports the PIL informs the court that though the ONGC has paid a royalty of Rs 33.83 crore to the Nagaland government, only Rs 67 lakh ‘reached the villages.’
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