Tamil Nadu rejects ONGC’s application for digging in Ariyalur and Cuddalore
The Hindu
Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority had rejected the applications of ONGC since they lacked details about the projects’ socio-economic and environmental impact
Reiterating that the State government would not give permission to coal bed methane and shale gas projects that would cause problems for the environment and farmers, TN Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday said applications of the ONGC for digging 10 wells in in Ariyalur district and 5 wells in Cuddalore district were rejected on June 21. Responding to Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) member M.H. Jawahiruallah, who raised the issue of the hydrocarbon projects in the Assembly, Mr. Thennarasu said the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) had rejected the applications of ONGC since they lacked details about the projects’ socio-economic and environmental impact.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.