CHENNAI: Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Thursday slammed the

for its latest move to offer 104 additional sites to ONGC for

explorations in the state. The new sites are in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram districts.

Condemning the move,

president M K Stalin charged that the Centre is out to convert Tamil Nadu into a “Sahara desert”.

“While farmers have already been agitating against the Centre’s earlier approval for hydrocarbon explorations in the Cauvery delta districts, the latest move will destroy agriculture completely in the region,” Stalin said.

Opposing the fresh move by the Centre,

general secretary T T V Dhinakaran asked farmers and villagers to make use of the grama sabha meetings, scheduled for Friday, to prevent any such projects, which destroy agriculture, from being taken up in their respective villages.

“A resolution passed by 10% of the eligible voters in a particular village against a project is legally binding. Hence, I request all the villagers to make use of this Friday’s Grama Sabha meetings for the purpose,” Dhinakaran said in a statement.