Wed Nov 27 18:47:29 UTC 2024: ## AIADMK and DMK Clash Over Cauvery Delta’s Protected Status

**Chennai, November 28, 2024** – A political debate has erupted in Tamil Nadu between the AIADMK and DMK over the designation of the Cauvery delta as a protected zone. The controversy stems from a recent Lok Sabha reply by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, who stated that no proposal to declare the delta an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) or Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) had been received from the Tamil Nadu government.

This contradicts a 2021 statement by the then Union Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, acknowledging the state government’s declaration of the delta as a protected special agricultural zone under the 2020 Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone Development Act. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi highlighted this discrepancy, questioning the central government’s apparent change in stance, particularly since the AIADMK was in power in Tamil Nadu when the 2020 Act was passed.

AIADMK’s response, delivered by its advocates’ wing secretary I.S. Inbadurai, argues that the 2020 Act provides stronger protection than an ESZ/ESA designation. Inbadurai further emphasized that the state government under then Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had formally communicated its decision to the central government in 2020.

The Union Minister also revealed that while no new environmental clearances have been granted for hydrocarbon or gas exploration projects in the Mayiladuthurai and Thanjavur districts, three proposals remain pending with the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, including one from ONGC and two from Vedanta. The ongoing debate underscores the significant political and environmental implications surrounding the Cauvery delta’s future.

Read More