AIADMK coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Monday called upon Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take steps for the immediate withdrawal of the invitation of bids by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for development of oil and gas fields in Vadatheru of Pudukkottai district in the Cauvery basin.
In a statement, Mr. Panneerselvam wanted Mr Stalin to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the proposed meeting on June 17 and explain to him the salient features of the State’s law on the protected agricultural zone for the Cauvery delta. Also, Mr. Stalin should bring to Mr. Modi’s notice the assurance given by the Union Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar in February 2020, to the State government that “the final decision as to whether to allow any particular [new] project in any particular region would continue to vest with the State government”.
The AIADMK leader termed as “unacceptable” the Chief Minister’s request to the Centre for consulting the State government prior to initiating the process of auction in Tamil Nadu for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction. This has created apprehension in the minds of people, especially farmers, that the State government is not firm in its stand of regarding hydrocarbon and methane projects as unnecessary, he said.