Triumph in the delta

Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi’s announcement on Saturday, just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, that the three lignite blocks in the Cauvery delta region would be removed from the list of mines to be auctioned has the farmers of the region celebrating

Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi’s announcement on Saturday, just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, that the three lignite blocks in the Cauvery delta region would be removed from the list of mines to be auctioned has the farmers of the region celebrating. They have a reason for joy, as the withdrawal marks the triumph of yet another public campaign spearheaded by farmers as a lobby against the exploration of natural resources in the fertile delta region.

Notably, the original proposal to include the three lignite blocks in the delta region in the list of coal deposits to be auctioned across the country had sparked as much anger as the palpable joy the reversal has brought. Farmers organisations and political parties had demanded that the the auction of the three blocks in Tamil Nadu be cancelled. Two of the three lignite blocks notified by the Ministry in Tamil Nadu — the Vadaseri and East of Sethiathope — form part of the Cauvery delta. They are in the Protected Agriculture Zone as declared by the State in 2020 after sustained protests against hydrocarbon exploration. The third block in Michaelpatti lies in a paddy growing zone.

The happy ending for the short but spirited campaign against the auction changed the direction the story was taking thus far. Farmers had turned restive in Vadaseri and adjoining villages over the past few days. While the 2017 campaign against hydrocarbon exploration at Neduvasal in Pudukottai district and Kadiramangalam in Thanjavur went on for months, the Vadaseri protests have come to an end quickly, thanks to the swift response from the Union government to the pressure from various quarters, including the State.

Terming it a victory for the farmers, P.R. Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, who had led a protest against the auction last week at Ullikottai, welcomed the Centre’s decision to withdraw its “unilateral” decision to auction the three lignite blocks in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Pandian and his associates burst crackers and distributed sweets to people at Mannargudi on Saturday evening. “We are grateful to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for immediately writing to the Prime Minister and his categorical announcement in the Assembly that the project would not be allowed,” he said. He thanked the Opposition parties and the BJP State leadership as well for supporting the farmers.

Farmers in Vadaseri too rejoiced. “We are overjoyed. We formed a struggle committee only on Friday with representatives from the affected villages, expecting it to be a long-drawn battle. But thankfully, the issue has been resolved quickly. Nevertheless, we will remain wary of any attempt to exploit our resources,” said S.A. Krishnamoorthy, a farmer of Vadaseri.

The village in Thanjavur district is in one of the most fertile belts in the Cauvery delta region, considered the food bowl of the State. “We are at the tail-end of the delta, yet we grow three crops a year here. Every farmer has one or more borewells in his field. We will never give up farming... not for someone to dig up coal from our land. It could happen only over our dead bodies,” Mr. Krishnamoorthy had affirmed earlier last week.

The villagers, small and medium farmers largely, were shocked to hear about the auction. “Idhu pon vilaiyum bhoomi [This is a land that yields gold]” was the refrain. “How can they destroy our fertile land and livelihood? Is lignite more important than food security? Why can’t they tap into solar energy and other renewable sources?” were the oft-repeated questions.