PUDUCHERRY, NAGAPATTINAM : Fear gripped farmers after Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy claimed that the site approved for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction project was not located in Karaikal but in Nagapattinam.
Addressing mediapersons during his visit to New Delhi to extend support to farmers protesting at Jantar Mantar for over a fortnight, Narayanasamy asserted that Puducherry would in no way be affected by the project, as the field named Karaikal in the contract awarded to Bharat Petro Resources Limited (BPRL) was not in the territorial limits of Puducherry.
Claiming that Union Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, whom he met earlier in the day, had informed him that the hydrocarbon field named Karaikal measuring 10.38 square kilometers and allocated to BPRL was not in Karaikal, but situated 10 kms away in the north-east direction, he said the Minister informed him that the field fell in the undulating lower delta plains of Cauvery basin and three wells in the region were awarded to BPRL. Narayanasamy further claimed that the minister had shown him the exact location of the project in Nagapattinam.
A source in the Puducherry administration confirmed Narayanasamy’s claims but was quick to add, “Though the Centre is referring to the site as Karaikal DSF (Discovered Small Field), it carries only one place in Karaikal which is Polagam and 4 other sites are coming under Narimanam and Thittacherry, close to the Karaikal border, in Nagapattinam district.”
S Ramadoss, district secretary, Tamizhaga All Farmers Organisation Committee, demanded transparency and urged the Collector to clear farmers’ doubts about Narayanasamy’s statement that hydrocarbon would be extracted in Nagai.