Deny permission for hydrocarbon wells in Cuddalore, DMK tells Tamil Nadu government

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government should not grant permission for the hydrocarbon wells project in the coastal Cuddalore district and take steps to immediately halt the project to safeguard the marine resources and fishermen’s livelihood, the opposition DMK said on Monday.

Expressing concern over the proposed move to establish four hydrocarbon wells in the sea near Parangipettai in Cuddalore district, about 190 km from Chennai, former Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that during its rule, the DMK under then Chief Minister MK Stalin took a firm decision on not allowing any hydrocarbon projects in the state in the interest of agriculture and to protect the environment.

"We advised the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority not to grant environmental clearance for the project when ONGC applied to study the hydrocarbon reserves in Ramanathapuram district, and thus stopped an attempt at the very beginning," Thennarasu said in a post on 'X'.

Similarly, the present TVK government should continue to maintain a firm stand in opposing the hydrocarbon project proposed to be constructed in the sea near Parangipettai, the legislator from Tiruchuli in Virudhunagar district, said.

Fishermen and environmentalists in the district have been opposing the proposal to drill four new offshore hydrocarbon wells off the Cuddalore coast, claiming the Rs 425 crore project would pose a serious risk to marine ecosystems, mangrove forests, and the livelihood of thousands of fishermen.

According to sources, the proposal is pending clearance as it is being examined by the Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority. Official regulatory filing reveals that the project is being driven by the Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Limited.

The four new development wells are planned to be drilled up to 3,000 metres deep in the Bay of Bengal, about 18 km off the Parangipettai coast. Activists from the Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental NGO, raised serious concerns, pointing out that the drilling site is located about 11.48 km away from the sensitive Pichavaram reserve forest containing the mangrove ecosystem and that it would endanger the biodiversity and marine life.

Speaking to reporters in Mayiladuthurai on Saturday, Anti-Methane Project Federation coordinator Professor T Jayaraman urged the state government not to grant permission for the project.

Fishermen and farmers claim that the heavy drilling and seismic surveys would permanently disrupt the marine ecosystem and destroy coastal livelihoods.

Apart from the DMK, the PMK and MDMK are opposed to the project.