TIRUCHY: PMK members from Ariyalur staged a protest on Monday against the ONGC for establishing exploration wells in the district.

The party members led by the district union president Kaduvetti Ravi gathered in front of Gandhi Park in Jayankondam and condemned the Union government for allowing exploration wells by the ONGC in the district. They also asked the state government to immediately intervene and stop the initiation.

The protesting members said they have been fighting for conserving the environment. If the ONGC is allowed to dig wells in the district, the entire region would turn barren and agricultural works would be under threat. They also said that several thousands of acres of fertile lands in the district would be destroyed and so the Centre should ask the PSU to withdraw the initiation of digging wells. They also demanded to remove the pipelines laid along the agricultural fields.

Members from Vanniyar Sangam, Uzhavar Pariyakkam and others also took part in the protest. Later, the protesting members submitted a petition to the Jayankondam Tahsildar.