Mon Feb 17 17:16:06 UTC 2025: **Puducherry CPI(M) Demands Cancellation of Distillery Licenses Following NGT Order**

PUDUCHERRY, February 17, 2025 – The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in Puducherry has called for the immediate revocation of licenses recently granted to distillery units. This demand follows a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order mandating safeguards for groundwater reserves in connection with a large-scale drinking water project.

In a memorandum addressed to the Lieutenant Governor, CPI(M) State Secretary S. Ramachandran argued that the NGT’s directives, pertaining to a ₹534-crore borewell project funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), have broader implications for all groundwater extraction activities. The party contends that issuing licenses to distilleries now would be in direct contempt of the NGT’s ruling.

The CPI(M) highlights existing concerns regarding the depletion of groundwater resources due to the AFD project, which involves deep borewells to supply drinking water to urban areas. The party cites instances of the Public Works Department (PWD) seeking tenders for borewells in Bahour and the PWD Minister’s attempts to persuade residents to withdraw their opposition to the project.

Ramachandran emphasized Puducherry’s historical legacy of community-based water management systems, contrasting it with the government’s approach, which has been criticized for ignoring community involvement and leading to severe groundwater depletion. The party further points to the Central Ground Water Board’s classification of the region’s groundwater resources as “critically exploited.”

The CPI(M) is demanding a comprehensive analysis of the territory’s water resources, to be published as a white paper, along with a public hearing before any further projects, including new distilleries, are implemented. The party also proposes restructuring the PWD Irrigation Department into a Water Resources Department, incorporating relevant sections from other departments, and ensuring community participation in water management. A significant redesign of the AFD water supply project, under the guidance of the proposed new department and with active stakeholder involvement, is also urged.

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