Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday said “a good news to make the farmers happy” will soon be announced on the issue of hydrocarbon projects in the Cauvery delta.
“We are consulting legal experts. The decision will be to your liking,” he said in the Assembly while responding to Opposition leader and DMK president M.K. Stalin, who urged the government to cancel the hydrocarbon projects for which permission had already been granted.
Mr. Stalin demanded the adoption of a resolution for cancelling hydrocarbon projects in the current session of the Assembly. “We will support the government. Already, our MPs in both Houses of Parliament are pressing the issue,” he said. The Chief Minister said work on according the Protected Special Agricultural Zone status to the Cauvery delta had begun immediately after he made the announcement in this regard. “But we have to make the correct decision. There are some problems, and the government has sought the opinion of legal experts. A decision will be announced in the Assembly, and it will match your expectations,” he said.
The State Cabinet, which met for over 30 minutes later in the day, gave its nod for a Bill to declare the Cauvery delta a Protected Special Agricultural Zone. The Bill is expected to be presented in the Assembly on Thursday — the last day of the current round of sittings.
Inaugurates projects
The Chief Minister inaugurated a slew of projects through video-conferencing on Wednesday.
He inaugurated projects worth ₹573.33 crore executed by the Housing and Urban Development department, including housing complexes, administrative buildings and Amma Marriage Halls.
Mr. Palaniswami also inaugurated projects worth ₹33 crore for the Fisheries department. These include buildings in the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, constructed at a cost of ₹27.65 crore, and deep sea fishing boats for fishermen at a cost of ₹6.40 crore. He also inaugurated projects worth ₹14.13 crore executed by the Prohibition and Excise department.