Realign Kochi-B'lore gas line: TN farmers

We are not against project , they say

Tamil Nadu farmers have urged the government to realign the 312-km long Kochi-Bangalore gas pipeline that passes through seven western districts.

The pipeline is being laid by Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL). The Kochi-Kootanad-Bangalore-Mangalore Pipeline project that involves GAIL laying “carbon steel coated” pipes to transport natural gas, has run into rough weather after Tamil Nadu farmers in the pass-through areas stoutly opposed laying of pipes going through agriculture land.

As a three-day public hearing began here on Wednesday, farmers from Coimbatore and Namakkal districts said they are not against the project but they want the pipeline realignment along the national highway.

The public hearing came after sporadic reports of distressed farmers clashing with Gas Authority of India Ltd workers who have begun digging for laying the pipeline.

“They have begun digging, but we have stopped them for now, thanks to Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s interference; or else we are totally helpless as GAIL was armed with GOs,” said a Namakkal farmer.

At least 200 farmers from each of the project-affected districts were ferried to Chennai for the public hearing.

Initiating the interactions, Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan asked farmers to explain their problems as the chief minister has promised necessary action.

The Madras High Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a public interest litigation to stay Gas Authority of India Ltd from laying the gas pipelines on a technical ground that the public interest litigation  litigant was not an affected farmer from those areas.

“I have eight acres of land; but the pipeline will traverse through four acres, which makes the entire lot of land useless for me,” complained Muthusamy a farmer from Namakkal district.

“Already agriculture is facing a crisis with no farm labour due to migration to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme and I can’t partition my land within the family as well when one half of it will bear the pipelines,” he said and denied reports that GAIL had already “settled” the compensation for some ryots. 

Another farmer claimed that GAIL did not take them into confidence before the work began. “GAIL officials took a few farmers consent under duress in many villages and are going ahead; but we were not even consulted on any aspect including compensation,” charged another farmer Muthusamy from Tiruppur area.

“Moreover, any damage to the pipeline, the responsibility is fixed on the area farmer concerned who can be jailed up to 10 years; if an extremist punctures the gas pipeline and caused leak, what can we do?” rued another farmer Bhoopathy.

The Madras High Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a PIL to stay GAIL from laying the gas pipelines on a technical ground that the PIL litigant was not an affected farmer from those areas.