CHENNAI/TIRUCHY:The six-year-long struggle by farmers, environmental organisations and political parties in Tamil Nadu against methane extraction and shale gas projects finally came to an end after Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, announced on Thursday that the Centre has given up these projects.
Though licences given to the private company for the methane project were cancelled last year, a concrete announcement on scrapping the project has come only now, culminating the struggle triggered by late activist farmer Nammalvar. Farmers in the delta districts welcomed the news by bursting crackers and distributing sweets.
“Generations have been saved; 690 sq km of the Cauvery delta would now breathe easy, as the air, water and land would remain free from the threats posed by this project,” Cauvery Dhanapalan, of Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Protection Association, told Express. However, some farmers view this announcement with suspicion. PR Pandian, president, Cauvery Delta All Farmers Associations’ Coordination Committee, pointed out that the minister’s statement could not be accepted as final, as it is a policy decision of the government.