Sources have stated that the Centre's nod to go ahead with the hydrocarbon extraction program in Neduvasal, Tamil Nadu has united the area's drought-hit farmers in protests. The Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee's approval from earlier this month, awarding oil well drilling contracts to ONGC has become the talk of the town.





Neduvasal, a picturesque town falling in the Cauvery basin and surrounded by lush greenery, was geographically marked by ONGC as a hydrocarbon rich field. Totally, 44 fields were marked by ONGC of which Neduvasal in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal in Pondicherry fall within or are close to the Cauvery basin.
Previously, Tamil Nadu political parties opposed a methane extraction programme forced the state government to pass a resolution disallowing fracking for the extraction of shale gas. The resolution was passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2015 and was accepted by the Centre in 2016.





Farmers and local politicians were unanimously opposed to fracking, which involves drilling several wells to inject water under high pressure in order to expand already existing fissures. The process also requires a vast amount of water, a requirement that did not sit well with the drought-facing farmers, who are facing a drought and crop failure. They questioned why the Centre was unable to bring water from neighboring states when it could do so for a fracking project.



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