With Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami declaring that the Cauvery delta region would be declared a protected agricultural zone, activists have urged him to enact a law to enforce his decision.
“We welcome and appreciate the Chief Minister’s announcement. We have been placing the demand since 2014 as the hydrocarbon projects will have disastrous consequences in the Cauvery delta. We urge the Chief Minister to enact a law to implement the decision,” said T. Jayaraman, Chief Coordinator, Anti-Methane Project Federation, who has been in the forefront in the protests in Kadiramangalam and other places in the delta.
“The Centre and MNCs will mount pressure on the government. The State must not succumb and should remain firm,” he said.
The Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee urged the Chief Minister to enact legislation banning new hydrocarbon extraction projects in the delta region. While welcoming his announcement, the Committee coordinator, P.Maniarasan pointed out that the reasons listed out by the former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa while issuing a government order banning the extraction of methane in Cauvery delta would hold good for hydrocarbon projects also.
At the same time, he said, allowing an American company to set up an oil refinery in Cuddalore district at a massive investment, contradicted the announcement made by the Chief Minister. Though setting up of a massive oil refinery could be justified by claiming that it would create jobs, the fact that such large scale oil refining activity would have a negative impact on the environment, particularly groundwater table, could not be ruled out, he alleged.
Further, the projected employment opportunities in this petroleum industry have not brought any succour to the Tamil youth as their job opportunities have been usurped by North Indians, he said by pointing out that North Indians have been employed in large numbers in the refineries functioning at Ennore, Narimanam, Panangudi and other areas.
Moreover, international studies have also pointed out agro-based industrial activities provided more job opportunities than chemical-based industries, he added.
Mr. Maniarasan also urged the State government to withdraw cases booked against those who had staged protests demanding declaration of the delta region as protected agriculture zone and against the hydrocarbon projects in the region earlier.
Koundampatti S. Subramanian, deputy secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, also sought legislative protection to ensure that the Chief Minister’s decision was enforced.