TIRUVARUR: Around 300 farmers from the Cauvery delta districts would stage a protest in New Delhi on July 25, 26 against the hydrocarbon projects. P R Pandian, president of the co-ordination committee of the Tamil Nadu all farmers associations, told this to media in Mannargudi on Sunday.
The farmers would observe a hunger strike on July 25 and picket Parliament on July 26. Chief Minister of Puducheery, V Narayanasamy would inaugurate the fast.
Pandian said the Union Petroleum Ministry has been entering into MoU with Vedanta and ONGC to explore hydrocarbons in the delta even as State Law Minister categorically said the Tamil Nadu government did not give nod to these projects.
ONGC, he said, got permission to explore crude from 2008 to 2013 and closed some of the exploratory wells citing there was no crude, but has now embarked on hydrocarbon exploration in those wells. TNPCB returned the application for permission to explore at Chozhanganallur, and ONGC said it did not receive any reply from government in 120 days, and had deemed it as permission to commence the work, he said. Further Pandian said he would submit a petition to Principal Secretary, Environment and forests, Government of Tamil Nadu on July 23, demanding ban on ONGC operations in delta districts.