Enacting law only way to save farming in Cauvery delta: Anbumani

Thiruchirapalli

Pushing for the protected agricultural zone law, Anbumani distributed handbills to the public at Swamimalai, Tiruvalanchuzhi, Papanasam, Cholapuram and Aduthurai. Speaking to the public, he recalled the issual of licence for 54 hydrocarbon projects across the country by the Union government and said these included three proposed hydrocarbon projects in the Cauvery delta area. He said under the hydrocarbon extraction licence, the companies are entitled to explore shale gas, methane and petroleum products.“If these projects are implemented, they would turn this fertile region into a desert,” he cautioned. He said the Cauvery delta, once the rice bowl of India, has been facing a drastic reduction in cultivable area. “The farmers, who once cultivated paddy three times a year, now find it difficult even to grow a single successful crop a year,” he pointed out.He urged the youth to come forward to protect agriculture in the region as they had sought to save the tradition of jallikattu. The PMK leader said he would fight till the end to stop the hydrocarbon projects in the region.Seeking a political change, Anbumani said if the PMK comes to power, it would stop all hydrocarbon projects within a month and close down even the ONGC. On Saturday, he addressed a meeting at Kumbakonam.