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TN CM assures Neduvasal farmers that no permission will be given for hydrocarbon extraction project

The state government has not granted any license to commercially extract natural gas at Neduvasal as it will affect the livelihood of farmers.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami meeting with farmers who were part of the protest in Neduvasal against the hydrocarbon project, at Secretariat on Wednesday
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With the protest against hydrocarbon extraction project in Neduvasal in Pudukottai district spreading to various parts of Tamil Nadu and opposition parties backing the protest, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday assured agitating farmers that the state government has not granted permission for the hydrocarbon project.

"The state government has not granted any license to commercially extract natural gas at Neduvasal as it will affect the livelihood of farmers. Hence the farmers need not worry about it," the Chief Minister told a group of 11 farmers, who were part of the 14-day-long protest in Neduvasal when they met him at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Stating that he had taken up the hydrocarbon project with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with him on Monday, Mr Palaniswami further assured the farmers that the state government is following the principles of Amma (former chief minister J Jayalalithaa), and will not implement any project inimical to the interest of farmer's. He urged the farmers to end their protest.

C Velu, one of the farmers who met the CM, said that the decision on whether to call off or continue the protest would be taken only after consulting all "our people in Neduvasal". "Agriculture is our source of livelihood. Oil leaked from one such well drilled by the oil companies in a nearby village has contaminated both the soil and groundwater. We also came to know that few people living adjacent to the oil well have died of cancer. So we will not allow the oil wells to spoil our lives," he told reporters.

The villagers of Neduvasal are up in arms against the proposed hydrocarbon project fearing it would have an adverse impact on agriculture, and further deplete and contaminate groundwater in their area. Farmers began their protest a day after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval on February 15 for awarding production contract for the projects at Neduvasal and 30 other locations in the country.

The agitation has intensified over the weekend with students, youngsters and celebrities from across the state visiting the village to lend their support. Students in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Thiruvannamalai and Dindigul were staging protests in solidarity with the villagers. All the political parties in the state except BJP have extended their support for the farmer's protest and supported their demand for scrapping the project.

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