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Conflicting interests between oil company and villagers' needs for land |
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2/4/1926 I inspected the Thana, disposed of two or three cases, and then went to look at the land the company wish to take up for their new boring and the road for access. They also want 600 acres of first land for timber to burn, and as they want it at the boring the only land may use [sic] is an old jhum, which I refused them. Probably they will use coal instead, as the only land I could offer for that purpose is too far off to be economical. Land for drilling, dwellings and the road, I suppose they have got to have but the sites they point out are nearly all jhuming tilas and as yet they cannot specify exactly where the road will go. Samaguting are much exercised. They were quite pleasant over the first area taken up, but now say that as soon as the company gets one good site, it wants another, and at the present rate they will soon have no suitable jhum land left. As the company say quite frankly that if they find oil they will erect a series of drillings from Diphu to the Tahaki all the way along, there is much truth in the Nagas' contention, and the only solution I can think of so far is to assess the compensation in loads of paddy per annum. Cash is no compensation for an edible crop with prices rising annually. Meanwhile Samaguting protest against giving any fresh surface right at all and are going to petition Government. I realized part of an outstanding agricultural loan. |
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N'chambemo of Illumiyo has been doing tikka work at Nichuguard and gone off without paying his coolies. He is said to be a known rogue. |
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I told the Assistant Sub Inspector to allow no cultivation along side the cart road and to prevent the destruction of the forest on each side of it. Any jhuming or clearing to be done must be done further in and out of sight. Also no new buildings at all are to be erected north of the Thana on either side of the road, except inside the company's grant. Any new dwelling house must be put in old Nichuguard village, where there are numbers of suitable sites. |
