Farmers, environmentalists and traders joined together and observed a one-day fast in Mannargudi against the proposed Coal Bed Methane (CBM) project, planned to be implemented in 50 villages in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.
G Nammalvar, organic farming scientist, who led the protest held near the Periyar statue in West Main Street, Mannargudi, said the Central and State governments are entering into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with multinational corporations (MNCs), and in the process destroying the natural wealth of the country.
“The methane project would not only affect farming activities in the region by destroying ground water resources, but also irreparably damage soil health by seepage of saline ‘produced water’. This would ruin the entire economy of the area,” he said. “Hence, arises a need for door-to-door campaign in the delta districts about the damaging effects of the project,” he added.
He called upon the farmers, traders and the public of the Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagappattinam districts to hoist black flags atop their houses in protest against the project and to join the bandh called for on June 27 in the three districts. “Following the bandh, picketing of the Union Government offices in the delta districts would be organised,” he added.
V Sivapunnyam, former CPI MLA, inaugurated the fast organised under the banner ‘Movement Against Destruction’. The speakers demanded the Union Petroleum Ministry to rescind the allocation of Mannargudi block for extracting coal bed methane.
Meanwhile, farmers in Nagapattinam have urged the State government to oppose the project tooth and nail from being implemented. Though the identified area for methane extraction does not involve the tail-end delta of Nagapattinam, farmers here have expressed strong support to their counterparts in other areas who face the problem. At the ‘Save Delta’ conference organised by farmers’ associations at Mayiladuthurai on Friday, farmers said the project implementation would lead to depletion of ground water.