Tamil Nadu: Protect entire Delta as agri zone, urge farmers

TIRUCHY: Cauvery Delta farmers on Thursday sat on a one-day hunger strike demanding that the State government announce the entire Delta as a Protected Agricultural Zone and release the report of the soil scientist Sultan Ismail committee on the adverse impact of extracting hydrocarbon in the region.

The farmers, headed by PR Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of the All Farmers Association, commenced the token hunger strike at Mannargudi in Tiruvarur. He pointed out a memorandum signed by the state government in 2011 for the exploration of the methane project. He cited that the farmers opposed the project during the public hearing held on January 28, 2012. On April 4, 2013, the hydrocarbon exploration well had exploded, and so the ONGC attempted to establish eight wells in various villages, and the South Indian Green Tribunal banned the exploration activities in 2015, he said.

However, the exploration activities had been initiated thereafter, despite the ban, he added. The farmers staged a series of protests until 2019, and in 2020, the then-state government declared the Cauvery Delta a Protected Agricultural Zone, forcing the ONCG to stop further exploration.

However, the Union government declared that the projects are still pending at Periyakudi in Tiruvarur and Mannargudi.

“The Tamil Nadu Government should clarify the statement and stop the ONGC from initiating steps to resume the exploration activities,” Pandian said. He also demanded that the State government ensure the Cauvery delta region is a Protected Agricultural Zone and release the report of the soil scientist Sultan Ismail committee on the adverse impact of hydrocarbon exploration.