TN Assembly adopts Bill banning hydrocarbon projects

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday adopted a Bill that prohibits projects involving exploration,

drilling and extraction of oil and natural gas, including coal-bed methane, and other similar hydrocarbon and ship-

breaking industry in the Cauvery delta region of the state. Aimed at protecting agriculture in the delta areas,

considered the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, the Bill also seeks to establish a high-powered authority to be led by the Chief

Minister to protect and improve farming to increase farm productivity.

Suggesting measures for fostering infrastructure for food security will be a key function of the authority.

The main opposition - DMK and its allies including the Congress which welcomed the Bill, however, staged a walkout

since their plea to send it to Select Committee was not entertained.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami piloted the Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone Development Bill 2020 and called

it "historic." He rued that the DMK walked out to politicise the matter. Farmers would however be happy and they would

welcome the Bill, he said. State Ministers spoke welcoming the initiative and

praised Palaniswami. The prohibition clause of the Bill said:'No person shall

undertake any new project or new activity specified in the Second Schedule in the protected agricultural zone."

Apart from coal-bed methane, shale gas and other similar hydrocarbon and ship-breaking industry, the schedule of

prohibited projects also include zinc smelter, iron ore process plant, integrated steel plant and sponge iron plant.

Also, copper smelter, aluminium smelter, bone meal, processing of animal horn, hoofs and body parts and tannery

are included. However, activities or projects in operation in the

protected agricultural zone would not be affected. Also, infrastructure developments in the zone such as

harbour, pipelines, road, telecommunications, power, water supply and other utilities are excluded from the Bill.

The prohibition applies to Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts that form the core of Cauvery delta

region in Tamil Nadu besides several blocks of Cuddalore and Pudukottai districts.

As per the Bill, the government shall take steps to use available agricultural lands for sustainable development of

farming and ensure that agricultural activities are not unduly constrained by non-agricultural use or other development.

Leader of Opposition M K Stalin welcoming the initiative raised several points and wanted it to be sent to a Select

Committee for complete success of the initiative. Batting for rescinding the existing hydrocarbon projects,

he asked why districts of Tiruchirappalli, Karur and Ariyalur were excluded. He said the Bill does not appear to be drafted

following consultation with experts. Further, he wanted to know if the government had looked

into a Supreme Court order years ago that struck down a Gujarat government law that dealt with a similar subject.

He also wanted to know why real estate projects that developed plots in the region were not included.

Palaniswami, referring to Stalin's poser on a government letter to Centre on the matter, said the Union government had

made it clear that the final decision to allow or not a project in a given region vested with the state government.

Sale of lands owned by farmers [if they chose to do so] could not prevented, he said.

On non-inclusion of districts like Tiruchirappalli and Ariyalur, Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam said these regions

already had industries and farming and industries, and were two eyes of the state.

Shanmugam asserted that though the Centre had given a go- ahead for hydrocarbon exploration at Neduvasal in Pudukottai

district in 2014, the state government had not given permission. Similarly, nod for hydrocarbon exploration to an

energy firm in 2011 was cancelled later by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The Minister said thus no exploratory activity for hydrocarbon project was carried out at all adding there were

no ongoing hydrocarbon projects in Tamil Nadu. The state government had full competence to legislate on

agriculture, he said. Also, the law on petroleum and natural gas vested the authority only with the State government to

grant permission for projects on land though Centre had powers for off-shore initiatives.

He also distinguished between oil projects in vogue for a long time in Tamil Nadu and the ones like hydrocarbon.

The passage of the Bill follows Palaniswami's announcement on February 9 that Cauvery delta districts would

be categorised as a special protected agricultural zone and had assured that permission would not be given for hydrocarbon

projects.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)