The Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association has exhorted the State government to initiate action against government officials with regard to issuance of no-objection certificate for extraction of hydrocarbon in Ramanathapuram district.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 26, association secretary Sundara Vimalanathan welcomed the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to cancel the environmental clearance accorded to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s move to tap hydrocarbon in around 20 different places across Ramanathapuram district.
At the same time, it was unclear on what basis the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority accorded its consent to the ONGC project and if any public hearing was conducted before issuing of clearance.
Pointing out that the association had been insisting that the State government declare entire Tamil Nadu, excluding Chennai, as ‘Protected Agriculture Zone’ ever since the previous AIADMK regime declared the delta districts as ‘Protected Agriculture Zone’, he urged the State government to initiate action against officials of EIA Authority and the district administration for issuing clearance certificate to ONGC to extract hydrocarbon from Ramanathapuram district.
Published – August 26, 2025 04:29 pm IST
