Centre's request to withdraw Naga petroleum ruling rejected

A consultative meeting of the Naga hohos (apex body of tribals), all political parties and civil societies today rejected the Centre's request to withdraw the Nagaland Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulations and Rules, 2012, official sources said.
The ministry of petroleum and natural gas had urged the state government recently to withdraw the Regulations saying they were unconstitutional as the state Assembly cannot enact such a regulation under Art 371A (1)(a) of the Constitution, the sources said.
The Art 371A provides some special power to the state of Nagaland.
The meeting held under the aegis of the State Department of Geology and Mining, however, decided that the Regulations were valid as they were within the framework of Article 371A (1)(a) of the Constitution.

The Nagaland Assembly, in exercise of its powers under Article 371A (1)(a) of the Constitution passed the Resolution on July 26, 2010, rendering all Acts of Parliament governing petroleum and natural gas inapplicable to Nagaland.
The meeting held that the central government on March 10, 2011 had declared in Lok Sabha that Nagaland had the power to frame rules for governing matters relating to petroleum and natural gas within the territory of the state, sources said.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had said in last month that the state government was legally correct in using Art 371(A) in exploration of the oil and natural gas in the state.

The Nagaland Government had floated an Expression of Interest last year for exploration of 11 oil and gas blocks in the state.
The meeting was attended by Rio, his cabinet colleagues, MLAs of ruling and opposition benches and leaders of tribal organizations and civil societies.
Today's meeting also demanded that the Centre restore and fully implement the provisions of the 16 Point Agreement made between the Government of India and Naga Peoples' Convention in 1960, which brought about Nagaland statehood.