Overview

• Finance, Environment and Climate Change Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority has been asked to rescind its approval, citing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin’s policy of allowing no hydrocarbon projects anywhere in Tamil Nadu.
• The clearance had allowed ONGC to drill 20 onshore exploratory wells to depths of about 2,000–3,000 meters across a 1,403 sq km block near protected coastal ecosystems.
• The approval was issued on March 11 and was recently posted online, which activists said appeared on an outdated portal rather than the Environment Ministry’s Parivesh system.
• Fishermen, environmental groups and several parties, including MDMK, PMK and AMMK, opposed the plan and urged the Union government to cancel it, warning of risks to livelihoods and groundwater.
• SEIAA’s formal withdrawal and any response from the Centre are pending, and ONGC would still require a Petroleum Exploration License from the state even with environmental clearance.