Kathiramangalam protest, a conspiracy against govt, says HMK

A mild tension prevailed after a group of advocates attempted to besiege the outfit members. After submitting a petition with the Assistant Collector of Kumbakonam Pradeep Kumar, Arjun Sampath said there was no problem for the past 17 years in the operation of ONGC in Kathiramangalam. 

“I sense a conspiracy behind the protest to prevent development projects in the state and the country,” Arjun Sampath said. When Arjun Sampath and his supporters started from the Assistant Collector’s office to Kathiramangalam, the police stopped them. He, along with his supporters squatted at the entrance of the Assistant collector’s office and raised slogans. 

They were forcibly removed and 35 persons were arrested. Meanwhile, a group of advocates staged a protest against Arjun Sampath. They demanded to ban Arjun Sampath’s outfit that has been acting as a divisive force in the state. The residents of Kathiramangalam village withdrew their three day-old hunger strike after the Madurai Bench of Madras High court admitted the bail petitions of ten persons arrested during protest. However, when the court reserved its judgment on these petitions, the residents said they would continue the sit in.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), personnel while asking the people of Tamil Nadu not to be misled by rumours and misinformation campaign, said that the leak in the Kuthalam-7 Well site at Kathiramangalam affected “less than an acre of land” even as 2,000 litres of oil along with some gas leaked from the pipeline and spread to the fields. 

While the ONGC said that a record of earlier leaks was maintained, they could not answer key questions, including transparency regarding environmental assessments and results of water samples taken after the leak on June 30. T Rajendran, ONGC Cauvery basin manager, said, “We identified the leak at 8.30 am on June 30, around 75 metres from the well. Our crew rushed to the site but were not allowed to repair the leakage, which could have been plugged within 30 minutes. 

Due to the delay, less than an acre has been damaged. A compensation of Rs 53,000 was paid to the affected party and re-mediation of soil was also done. An investigation is under way to find out the cause of the leak.” The officials were not clear about the composition of the leaked substance and referred to it as “light crude oil”.  VP Mahawar, Director (Onshore), said safety measures were being followed, with regular inspection of pipelines. 

“Depending on the type of pipeline, regular inspections are being carried out to check the stress on the pipe. We have had these pipelines functioning for more than four decades in various parts of the country. If the investigation reveals that the pipeline in Kathiramangalam must be changed, we will do it,” he said. ONGC has drilled more than 700 wells since the inception of their operations in Cauvery. 

Out of 700, 183 are operational. “Water samples have been taken from 12 wells we have dug around the village and tested by the ONGC and TWAD Board. Samples from nine wells were drinkable while iron content was slightly high in the remaining samples, indicating that groundwater was depleting. This was announced to the public in the village,” Mahawar added. 

When asked for the results of these tests and a record of earlier oil leaks in Cauvery area, officials failed to furnish them. The oil leak brought out the lack of preparedness among public. D D Misra, HR, said, “We are conducting regular drills monthly for our staff. For the public, a drill is held annually along with the district administration.” ONGC has appointed an agency to create awareness among  public and an investigation into the leak is conducted.