Pudukottai

Similarly, as a part of their series of protests, they have decided to raise a black flag atop their houses and conduct gram sabha meeting in all 497 village panchayats and to pass resolution against the project that would be sent to the state and centre. They also said if the Union Government did not drop the project at once, they would intensify the struggles in the form of hunger strike, road blockade and self-immolation. 

Meanwhile, support for the Neduvasal residents who are on an indefinite strike in Pudukkottai, has grown in the last few days. People from all walks of life, including farmers and students held separate protests and rallies in various districts. On Monday, over 2,000 residents from Neduvasal, social activists of various outfits and students from around 10 villages adjacent to Neduvasal and neighbouring districts like Thanjavur and Tiruchy gathered at Thilagar Thidal in the town under the banner of ‘Anti movement for Hydrocarbon project’ and staged a protest. They declared they would continue their hunger strike till the central government withdraws its permission for extracting hydrocarbon at Neduvasal. 

Hydrocarbons and protest 

Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are made of only hydrogen and carbon atoms. They are found in many places on earth, and occur naturally in crude oil and natural gas. 

Residents of Neduvasal had voiced their protest on February 16, soon after the announcement of Cabinet Committee of Economic affairs (CCEA) on granting of permission to extract hydrocarbons at Neduvasal. Joining the chorus of protests is the student community. Students from a number of colleges have joined the rallying cry against the hydrocarbon extraction project. 

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