The DMK-led government has directed the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority to withdraw the clearance granted to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd for hydrocarbon exploration in Ramanathapuram district.
Published Aug 24, 2025 | 7:13 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 24, 2025 | 7:13 PM
The Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone prohibits hydrocarbon projects in the Cauvery Delta region.
Synopsis: Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has said the state will not permit any new hydrocarbon projects. The government has directed the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority to withdraw clearance granted to ONGC for exploration in Ramanathapuram.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has said the state will not permit any new hydrocarbon projects, keeping in mind the welfare of farmers and the public.
His statement comes after the DMK-led government directed the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to withdraw the clearance granted to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) for hydrocarbon exploration in Ramanathapuram district.
Thennarasu emphasised that, in line with Chief Minister MK Stalin’s policy decision, no hydrocarbon project will be allowed in Tamil Nadu now or in the future. He recalled that in February 2020, the state had enacted the Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone (PAZ) Act, which declared the Cauvery Delta region a protected agricultural zone.
The law, passed under the previous AIADMK government, prohibited new exploration and extraction of petroleum, natural gas, coal-bed methane and shale gas in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and parts of Cuddalore districts.
In 2023, the DMK government extended the ban to Mayiladuthurai district.
