Tamil Nadu: 595km-long human chain against ‘anti people’ works

TRICHY: Thousands of farmers along with the leaders and cadres of various political parties including DMK, MDMK, CPI, CPM, VCK, TVK and TMMK, fishermen, traders and students formed a massive human chain, on Sunday, covering the entire 595 km stretch, from Marakkanam in Villupuram district to Rameswaram, opposing projects that destruct the livelihood of human beings.
The human chain was formed along the East Coast Road connecting the delta districts - Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukottai, besides the parched Ramanathapuram.
The protest was held to highlight the threat to the Delta districts, known to be the most fertile in the region. Hydrocarbon explorations among others not only result in taking away fertile agriculture lands for industrial purposes, but also create a sense of fear among the farmers, who fear sea water seeping in even into those lands not covered by the hydrocarbon explorations.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko, DMK leader and former minister K Ponmudi, VCK general secretary and Villupuram MP Ravikumar, Activist K Ayyanathan participated in the protest at Marakkanam.
Thanjavur DMK MP SS Palanimanickam and KK R Lenin, the organizer of the 'Movement against Destruction', massive human chain led the protest in Thanjavur, where hundreds of farmers and cadres of political parties participated.
In Cuddalore, VCK leader and Member of Parliament Thol Thirumavalavan, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan led the protest, while the Tamilar Desiya Munnani President Pazha Nedumaran led the protest at Muthupettai in Tiruvarur district. TVK leader Jeromkumar did the honours at Rameswaram, where the chain ended.
Earlier the protest was scheduled to be held on June 12. But, following a court order, it was postponed to June 23.
The leaders demanded winding up of all the ongoing and proposed projects including hydrocarbon, methane, the eight-lane Salem - Chennai highway among others, alleging that they posed a threat to humanity. The entire farming community has been vehemently opposing all these projects since they were all purposely being implemented in Tamil Nadu with an ulterior motive of destructing the state, they said.
“People from all walks of life including the general public, farmers, political leaders, cadres, social activists, government employees, teachers and school and college students participated in the massive human chain and made it a great success”, Lenin told TOI.
People of Tamil Nadu have been struggling to bring about a total ban for the ongoing hydrocarbon exploration projects and the proposed oil wells to be established across the delta region. However, both the State and the union governments have turned a deaf ears to their protests, he said, while calling upon the people across Tamil Nadu to come forward to register their stiff opposition against the state and the Centre for their exhibited attitude, he added.