Farmers, allies, Oppn, all hail Delta as protected agri zone

“We thank Chief Minister for fulfilling our long pending demand. Cultivation is carried out in more than 30 lakh acres in Tamil Nadu and the decision will benefit not just farmers, but the entire population of the state. Through the announcement we can move away from BT crops and can focus more on natural farming methods,” said P Ayyakannu, South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Association.

The historic announcement made by Chief Minister has been welcomed not just by the allies of ruling party, but also by the opposition parties.

PMK founder S Ramadoss, in a tweet, said, “Making Cauvery Delta a protected zone is one of the 10 long pending demands of the PMK. The party is happy at Chief Minister’s announcement of making Delta a protected zone.”

Similarly, another ally Tamil Manila Congress leader GK Vasan said, “The announcement of Chief Minister shows that the state government has reflected the sentiments of farmers. The announcement will ensure the livelihood of farmers and farming will further see a rise in Delta region.”

Leaders of opposition parties also welcomed the announcement. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said, “People of Cauvery Delta protested continuously for making Cauvery Delta a protected zone and they have faced many cases. Many have lost their lives and this announcement is a victory for the lost lives and for the protests.”

He also said that the announcement should not go down as a mere statement, but the government should implement the announcement in letter and spirit by making this as an Act and by issuing a Government Order (GO).

VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said, “The announcement is a victory for the people and farmers who protested against hydrocarbon extraction scheme. Chief Minister has also announced that the state government will not allow hydrocarbon extraction in Delta region and VCK welcomes the stand of the state government.”

He further said that other schemes such as Neutrino scheme and extraction of hydrocarbon in other parts of the state should also be stopped.

Congress MP S Thirunavukkarasar said, “All the parties in the state have staged protest against the hydrocarbon scheme and at the time when the Central government has announced that no environment clearance is required for hydrocarbon extraction, the state government should stand firm on its decision by implementing it at theearliest.”