Nagaland MLA and Advisor Achumbemo Kikon on Thursday raised serious concerns in the State Assembly over proposed ONGC oil drilling activities in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) near Hayiyan village under Bhandari Sub-Division, Wokha district, as well as recent confrontations involving Naga villagers along the Nagaland-Assam border.

Calling attention to matters of urgent public importance under Rule 54, Kikon informed the Assembly that he had received a representation from the Yamhon Area Public Organisation (YAPO) on August 31 opposing the proposed drilling works at New Wokha Hall, near Hayiyan village. He said the proposed site falls within his constituency and the area represented by YAPO, and sought clarification on whether the Government of Nagaland had granted the necessary approval.

Kikon urged that, if no such approval had been obtained, the competent authority should verify the site and maintain status quo on the ongoing works until the matter was amicably resolved in accordance with the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Nagaland, Assam and India concerning the survey, exploitation and extraction of crude oil and other minerals in the disputed belt.

He pointed out that the proposed drilling site was within the DAB and only about 500 metres from Lio-Wokha Old Village, which he described as a Naga village, although the area is officially classified as part of the Disputed Area Belt.

Kikon alleged that ONGC, with the support of the Assam Government, had continued surveying and identifying possible drilling points despite the Tripartite MOU. He said sections of the public, civil society organisations and freedom fighters had expressed concern over the activities, while oil companies operating from the Assam side of the disputed belt continued their operations.

He called on the State Government to clarify its position and ensure that measures taken to address the issue were translated into concrete action.

Kikon also raised concerns over an August 25 incident involving villagers from Longayim who had collected rubber saplings from the Rubber Board of India. He said the villagers were stopped while returning to the village by people from the Assam side of the disputed area, leading to a confrontation in which some villagers were allegedly assaulted.

He said the incident had affected the movement of villagers, particularly in an area where a recent joint eviction drive by Assam and Nagaland authorities had been conducted against illegal occupants. Kikon sought a detailed statement from the Home Minister on the steps taken to address the situation.

He also questioned the Minister in charge of Forest, Environment and Climate Change over the deployment of forest guards in the disputed belt. Referring to the 1972 Interim Agreement, under which armed police forces of Nagaland and Assam were to stay away from the disputed area and a neutral force was to be stationed there, Kikon alleged that Assam continued to claim the area as forest land and had consequently deployed forest guards.

Kikon further highlighted the poor condition of the foothill road, saying inadequate connectivity was making movement difficult for people in the border villages. He noted that the road issue had recently been taken up at the Doyang Cabinet meeting on August 6.

Responding to the concerns, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Home and National Highways, Yanthungo Patton, said the State Government was closely monitoring the situation arising from incidents on August 25 and 26 in the Mekirang/Neghrebil area of the DAB along the Nagaland-Assam border.

Patton said a vehicle carrying rubber saplings supplied by the Rubber Board of India was stopped on the evening of August 25 at a barricade erected by the Assam Forest Department. The saplings were intended for distribution and plantation at Longayim village, not at the recently evicted site.

When the Longayim Village Council and villagers requested that the vehicle be allowed to proceed, a crowd from the Assam side gathered, resulting in a scuffle between the two groups. Border Magistrates from Nagaland and Assam subsequently reached the spot and jointly assessed the situation. After verifying that the saplings were not intended for plantation at the evicted site, the vehicle was allowed to proceed.

According to Patton, another group from the Assam side gathered near the barricade on August 26 and staged a protest. During the incident, the chairmen of Longayim and Lio-Longchum villages, who were travelling through the area, were allegedly attacked after being accused of involvement in the previous night’s confrontation. The Joint Secretary of the Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO), who was also present, was allegedly assaulted. The crowd later dispersed following discussions with Assam Government officials.

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On the same day, the Wokha Deputy Commissioner, accompanied by the SP and SDPO Wokha, ADC Bhandari and the Border Magistrate, Merapani, visited the evicted site, including Sector D of the DAB. The team met leaders of Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum villages, along with representatives of the LLRPO.

Those allegedly assaulted were advised to lodge FIRs, and Patton said the victims subsequently filed an FIR at Bhandari Police Station on August 27.

The district administration also instructed villagers to inform the administration or Border Magistrate about any planned activities in the area so that preventive and coordinated measures could be taken with their Assam counterparts, Patton said.

The Wokha Deputy Commissioner later held a joint meeting with the Golaghat Deputy Commissioner and his team at the 142 CRPF Camp at Sector D, Merapani. The Wokha DC stressed that the movement of Naga villagers and the general public should not be obstructed, as the road serves as a lifeline for the border settlements.

Following the meeting, the two Deputy Commissioners agreed to activate the Border Level Peace Committee to strengthen coordination, maintain peace and prevent similar incidents. Patton said the situation was currently under control.

Background of the Disputed Area

Providing the background to the dispute, Patton said a joint eviction drive was conducted by Nagaland and Assam officials on August 8, 2025, in the Neghrebil/Mekirang area of Sector D, Doyang Reserve Forest.

A total of 205 households were served eviction notices, of which 146 were evicted. The eviction of the remaining 59 households was stayed following a court order. The Golaghat District Administration and Assam Forest Department later served fresh eviction notices on the same 59 households, directing them to vacate by August 18, 2026.

The area falls within the DAB and is also claimed by three Naga villages—Mekirang, Longayim and Lio-Longchum. Patton informed the Assembly that the Gauhati High Court, through its order dated August 18, 2026, granted the 59 households a further 60 days to vacate the land.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the State Government was giving top priority to the DAB issue and was continuously monitoring and pursuing it at both the Central and State levels. He said the Wokha district administration and Border Magistrates were maintaining close coordination with their Assam counterparts to protect Naga villages, settlements and residents and prevent a recurrence of the August 25 and 26 incidents.

Patton added that in the event of future eviction or plantation drives, appropriate mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that no unilateral action was undertaken and that such activities were carried out jointly by officials of Nagaland and Assam.