CHENNAI: The Pattali Makkal Katchi (

) on Thursday requested the

government to take necessary steps to stop the BJP government at the Centre from issuing environment clearance to public sector major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s proposal to drill 104 hydrocarbon well in delta districts.

In a press statement, PMK youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss said

had decided to drill 104 oil wells from

district to Cuddalore district. “The government is showing eagerness to drill oil wells in a bid to loot the natural resource of the delta region. It is “condemnable,” he said.

ONGC has approached the Centre, seeking environment clearance in this regard.

Cultivation area has gradually reduced in the drought-hit region. The new project would reduce the region, touted as “paddy bowl” of the state, into a desert. The public sector company has planned to 87 wells to extract crude oil and 17 wells for natural gas. Such project would further dent the agriculture activities in these districts and have a severe impact on water sources.

The impact of wells that dug up by ONGC for crude is evident in Kathiramangalam and Narimanam and neighbouring areas, he said and criticised that “only in India the projects have been enforced by the government on people without considering their opinions”.

Criticising the opposition DMK for allowing ONGC to conduct studies and explore the resource of crude oil in Tamil Nadu during its regime, he said that the then regime gave its nod in 1989 and most of the oil wells had come up in DMK’s regime.

He urged the TN government to express the people’s view to the Centre and stop the latter from giving its nod to the new proposal.