TRICHY: After a massive uprising over jallikattu on the Marina in Chennai, the day-long protests and hunger strikes by hundreds of farmers, youths and social activists around Neduvasal in Pudukkottai district are slowly making the village the cynosure of all attention. The protesting villagers are determined not to allow the hydrocarbon extraction project to ruin their fertile land. And once again, the social media has offered a platform for youths, students and various Tamil outfits to come together and express their solidarity with the protesters.Since it was a Sunday, a large number of students from the neighbouring districts, IT employees from Chennai and celebrities like director R Pandiraj and Thangar Bachan visited Neduvasal and sat with the protesters egging them on. They agreed that the proposed hydrocarbon extraction project would devastate the livelihood of people across the delta region.The protesters pointed out that more than 6,000 water bodies had already been destroyed. Due to sand mining, ground water table had started to deplete. They alleged that the BJP government had been making all efforts to ensure that a few corporate companies flourished at the cost of farmers. Dr Rajasekar from Chennai, belonging to Tamizh Nadu Ilaignar Katch, said that the entire state would become a desert if the project would be allowed to be executed. “Safeguarding nature is foremost than sophisticated life”, he opined.“I will return to my native Virachilai in Pudukottai district soon to carry out agriculture. I want my farm lands to remain intact and fertile”, said ‘Pasanga’ fame R Pandiraj. He also expressed apprehension that the process would destroy the fertile cultivable Cauvery basin. Addressing the gathering in Neduvasal, he said carrying out agriculture itself had become challenging. At this juncture, if the union government tried to implement such projects, it would sound the deathknell of the farming sector, he said.Meanwhile, DMK also joined hands with the protesters and staged a demonstration headed by two MLAs along with some cadres. MLAs S Raghupathi from Thirumayam, Durai Chandrasekaran from Thiruvaiyaru and Meyyanathan Siva V from Alangudi staged a demonstration at Neduvasal against the project. Samathuva Makkal Katchi leader and actor R Sarathkumar also visited the village and appealed to the Centre to withdraw from the programme as the project should not be executed on fertile land. Trichy city police arrested six youths belonging to ‘Thanneer’, an NGO, before they commenced a two-wheeler rally to Neduvasal to express their solidarity with the protesting people.Meanwhile, BJP national secretary H Raja told reporters in Chennai that the Centre would never compel the general public to accept anything against their wish. They need not protest. However, it was also important to see whether there was anything good in that, he added. BJP state president Tamilisai Soundarrajan said that the future of Tamil Nadu would be doomed if people started to protest against everything. Politicians should not use students’ community for this purpose, she opined.Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan appealed to the protesters not to oppose the project blindly and to see whether there was any benefit for the project. Meanwhile, traders have announced a bandh on March 1 in support of farmers opposing the hydrocarbon project. All shops across the district would remain closed, said traders association district president Seenu Chinnappa in Pudukkottai.It may be recalled that following stiff resistance from the farming community and political parties across the state, the state government headed by the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had passed a resolution disallowing the methane extraction project, which eventually was accepted by the Centre in 2016.GROWING SUPPORTFollowing are the number of outsiders who visited the protesting villagers and expressed solidarity with them on SundayIT employees from Chennai - 60Thedal (NGO) - 30College students from Puducherri - 60Puducherry Global Tamil Youth and Students Organization - 20Trichy Bharathidasan University students - 100