Photo Courtesy: nagalandpost
Kohima: The Yamhon Area Public Organisation (YAPO) is demanding answers. Officials spotted new drilling infrastructure at Lio-Wokha (Old) and Hayiyan. These sites sit directly inside the Disputed Area Belt (DAB). YAPO President N. Thungdemo Tungoe wants to know if the Assam government or its contractors have any legal standing to work there.
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding already exists. It binds Nagaland, Assam, and the Central government to specific rules regarding resource extraction. YAPO now wants to know if this current project ignores that agreement. The group suspects the work started without the required authorization from both the state of Nagaland and the central authorities.
"If such work is being carried out without the knowledge of the other two parties, it should be stopped immediately," Tungoe said. He insists the issue goes beyond simple resource extraction. The site’s disputed status makes every move sensitive. The people living there deserve to know who authorized the equipment and why.
YAPO is pressing the Nagaland and Central governments for immediate action. They want the identity of the operating agency revealed. They also want to see proof of all regulatory clearances. If the project operates outside the tripartite deal, the group expects the government to pull the plug and shut the site down until the legal standing is clear.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 1:50am
YAPO is now specifically flagging the installation of equipment at the sites as the catalyst for their demand for transparency. They want to know exactly which agency is running the operation and what specific legal authority they claim to be working under.
The group insists the government must disclose whether this project was greenlit as part of the existing oil extraction arrangements or if it is an entirely separate endeavor. They are pushing for an immediate audit of all permits and procedures involved before the gear was moved onto the land.
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