As farmers rose in protest, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday demanded that Environmental Clearance and Public Consultation be made mandatory for carrying out hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Palaniswami said projects involving exploration and extraction of Hydrocarbons have faced strong resistance from farmers, activists and other stakeholders in Tamil Nadu.
“Since most of these projects are situated in the Cauvery delta districts, which is ecologically a fragile zone, but a very fertile region and rice bowl of the State,
the opposition to these projects has been emotive and intense,” he said.
He demanded that public consultation and Environment Impact Assessment needs to be done before taking up any exploratory project in the region.
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