The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday signalled that it would move to cancel environmental clearance granted to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for drilling 20 onshore exploratory wells in Ramanathapuram district, after an outcry from political parties, activists, and farmers who warned of ecological destruction and betrayal of earlier promises.
The reversal came within hours of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) — a body functioning under the Union Environment Ministry — posting approval for the project online. The clearance, issued March 11, allows ONGC to drill wells to depths of 2,000 to 3,000 meters over a block of 1,403 square km in the Ramnad sub-basin, near the ecologically fragile Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and several bird sanctuaries. Each well was projected to take up to four months to complete.
The move triggered a political storm, with opposition parties accusing the ruling DMK of duplicity and its allies rushing to distance themselves. In a statement on Sunday, Finance, Environment and Climate Change Minister Thangam Thennarasu said Chief Minister M K Stalin had taken a “firm policy position” against hydrocarbon exploration anywhere in the state. “Considering the interests of farmers and the general public, the Tamil Nadu government would not allow such projects either now or in the future,” he said, adding that SEIAA would be asked to withdraw its decision.
The controversy underscores the enduring sensitivity around hydrocarbon projects in Tamil Nadu, where past attempts to drill in the Cauvery delta provoked farmer protests and forced both state and central governments to retreat. With Assembly elections expected in early 2026, the clearance and its swift rollback have become a lightning rod for opposition attacks and a reminder of the DMK’s precarious balancing act between development and populist environmentalism.
Political blowback
Among the first to lash out was Vaiko, general secretary of the MDMK, a DMK ally, who warned that the livelihoods of fishermen would be imperilled. “Companies keep trying to push oil and gas projects, and the Centre keeps nodding through auctions. This clearance will devastate the environment and must be withdrawn immediately,” he said.
The PMK, a regional party known for opposing such projects, accused the DMK of betrayal. Party president Anbumani Ramadoss called the clearance “shocking” and charged that it would turn the Cauvery delta and coastal districts into deserts. “All the hydrocarbon wells of ONGC will be drilled to about 3,000 feet. Hydraulic fracturing technology will be used, risking earthquakes and exhausting groundwater. Ramanathapuram will become a desert,” he said, recalling the DMK government’s 2010 decision to allow methane gas exploration in the delta that was shelved only after public protests.
TTV Dhinakaran of the AMMK echoed the criticism, saying the decision flew in the face of the DMK’s own promises. He cited an expert committee report led by soil scientist Sultan Ismail on the adverse impacts of hydrocarbon wells in the Cauvery basin, alleging that the government had suppressed it. “The failure to release the report deepens suspicion,” he said.
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The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, led by M H Jawahirullah, also condemned the clearance. “Chief Minister Stalin had promised that no hydrocarbon wells would be allowed anywhere in Tamil Nadu. This clearance has come as a shock to farmers and environmentalists,” he said.
Environmental concerns
Environmentalists and residents have voiced alarm that drilling would deplete groundwater and harm agriculture in one of Tamil Nadu’s most fragile districts. Poovulagin Nanbargal, an activist collective, issued a statement calling the clearance “an act to deceive farmers” and warned of protests if ONGC attempted to proceed. The group urged opposition parties to support their resistance.
Activists also pointed to procedural irregularities. Instead of being posted on the Environment Ministry’s Parivesh portal, the official platform for tracking clearances, the approval appeared on an outdated website, environmentclearance.nic.in, they said.
The wells were planned in six taluks of Ramanathapuram — Thiruvadanai, Mudukulathur, Paramakudi, Keezhakarai, Kadaladi, and Ramanathapuram — as well as in Devakottai taluk of Sivaganga district. ONGC had applied for clearance in October 2023, with each well estimated to cost Rs 33.75 crore. Even with environmental clearance, the company still requires a Petroleum Exploration License from the state industries department, which remains pending.
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For the DMK, which has sought to consolidate farmer support in the Cauvery belt and coastal districts, the political risks were evident. There were massive protests in 2019 and 2020 when the previous AIADMK government backed similar projects, and Stalin, then in opposition, pledged that a future DMK government would block all hydrocarbon exploration.
On Sunday, Minister Thennarasu’s quick move to reiterate that promise was a political necessity for the ruling DMK regime before the 2026 assembly polls. “The Tamil Nadu government would not allow any project relating to hydrocarbons in any part of the state, either now or in the future,” Thennarasu said.
