Permission to Vedanta worrisome, says Vaiko

Vaiko, who appeared in a city court, on Monday, addressed reporters outside and said, “Central government had given permission to carry out testing of presence of hydrocarbon and to make wells for extraction in 274 places in the state. It is much worrying for me as Vedanta group had been allotted the permission for extraction of hydrocarbon despite protests across the state.”

Recently, the Central government extended permission for extraction of hydrocarbon in Villupuram and Puducherry apart from the existing Delta districts and the permission was criticised by leaders of various political parties across the state. Even farmers threatened to stage protest if permission is not cancelled.

Vaiko too voiced his support for farmers. He said, “Hydrocarbon testing will happen in fertile lands and the cultivated crops will be damaged completely. Delta districts which are the rice bowl of the state will turn into a desert and entire people of Cauvery Delta are unitedly opposing the project.”

He also blamed the state government for aiding the Union government in turning Tamil Nadu into a desert. “The state government should not have given permission to the Centre to extract hydrocarbon in the state but on the contrary, it is helping the Union government by deploying police in the farmlands during the testing process,” charged Vaiko.

All India People’s Forum (AIPF) here on Monday urged the administration to oppose the hydrocarbon scheme by all means and not to provide any cooperation to it.

In a statement here, the federation pointed out that the Union government had given permission to Vedanta to extract hydrocarbon from the Cauvery Delta areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

This is a sheer “anti-democratic” and “anti-people” activity and the delta regions will become desert if deep bore wells up to 3,500 meter were dug in 274 places in the Delta region. This will affect drinking water sources, put an end to agriculture and the chemical effluents would endanger environment. Hence, the Puducherry administration should categorically oppose the scheme, it said.

The federation also urged the administration to go for an appeal in the child sex racket here in which all the accused police personnel were set free. 

The undue delay in conducting the case led to the acquittal of all the accused and this careless nature on the part of the Union Territory would become a set back to the government’s efforts in ensuring security to women and preventing sexual assaults.

Hence, the Puducherry administration should shed its sluggish nature and go for an appeal in the case to get the real culprits punished and render justice to the affected girls, failing which the federation would resort to agitations.