Stalin asks PM Modi to exclude Cauvery Delta belt from coal mine auction

Chennai, April 4 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exclude the state's Cauvery Delta region from the coal bidding process to protect the interest of the farmers.

The Union government had last week commenced the launch of the seventh round of bidding process for commercial coal to increase the availability of the dry fuel in the country.

Of these, three mining areas that were notified were in Tamil Nadu - Sethiathoppu in Cuddalore, Michealpatti in Ariyalur, and Vadaseri in Thanjavur.

The Chief Minister, in the letter to the Prime Minister, said: "Delta areas should be excluded from the coal bidding process. No approval was obtained from the state government before issuing the notification in this regard and the state government was not even consulted. Unfortunately, the Union Coal Ministry is acting arbitrarily.

"The three mining areas in Tamil Nadu, Sethialathoppu in Cuddalore, Michealpatti in Ariyalur, and Vadaseri in Thanjavur - should be excluded from the auction process due to the presence of valuable farmer's land and food security of the people."

"It is also emphasized that the state government should be consulted by ministries of the Union government before issuing such public announcements."

All three coal mining blocks in Tamil Nadu fall under the Cauvery Delta area of Tamil Nadu with Vadaseri and East Sethiathope falling within the Protected Agriculture Zone under the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020. The Michaelpatti block falls under a major paddy growing area adjoining a very fertile part of the Cauvery Delta.

Stalin, in his letter, also noted that under Section 4(1) of the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020, " no person shall undertake any new project or new activity specified in the Second Schedule in the protected agriculture zone".

He said that the projects covered in the Second Schedule and thus prohibited include exploration, drilling, and extraction of oil and natural gas including coal-bed based methane, shale gas, and other hydrocarbons.

Stalin said that the present bid conditions include the exploitation of coal bed methane and hence are covered within the prohibition of the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020. He said that this means that even if the tender process is conducted and a successful bidder is identified, it would not be possible to take up the mining project.

He also wrote that this implies that the auction process was a wasteful exercise as far as the identified blocks in Tamil Nadu are concerned.

Meanwhile, state Agriculture Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam told media persons at the Secretariat on Tuesday that the DMK-led government will not allow any projects like mining in the Delta region.

"Farmers in the protected agriculture zone need not fear the notification. The Chief Minister is committed to protecting farmers and banning mines. So there is no need to worry about it," he said.

aal/vd