KARUR: Movement of vehicle-mounted drill rigs set off protests by Nerur residents who thought the vehicles were part of a hydrocarbon exploration project. According to the villagers, the rigs had been drilling throughout Saturday night. Police, said, “With permission from the district administration, two boring lorries were sent to Nerur to test groundwater sources. As the lorries started work at 8 pm, villagers mistook the work for hydrocarbon exploration.” The villagers surrounded the lorries and staged the protest. On receiving information, police rushed to the site and attempted to disperse the crowd, but the villagers continued to stage the demonstration until midnight. The crowd dispersed after the tahsildar arrived and explained what was happening. The lorries were taken out of the village in the wee hours of Sunday.
Speaking to Express, a villager said, “Our village has abundant groundwater, with water available at 10 to 15 feet. Though officials state the central government has asked for the testing of groundwater conditions, they could have easily collected samples from the borewells. Instead, without any explanation or consultation with us, they chose to drill at night.”
T Anbalagan, District Collector, said the lorries were sent to Nerur by the Central Water Resource Board (CWRB) for testing groundwater levels during summer. These tests are conducted annually. Since the lorries failed to do the work during the day and without any official present, there were problems in the village. “To my knowledge, there are no hydrocarbon projects in Karur. Misuse of social media to spread rumours is the reason for such misunderstandings,” he added.