more-in Ramanathapuram Residents of Valantharavai panchayat staged a protest against the public sector Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for establishing a gas compressor station (GCS), ahead of laying pipeline for conveying Regasified Natural Gas (RNG) to Thoothukudi. After learning that IOC was making arrangements to bring a container-like shed to accommodate security and all set to start the preparatory work at the site at Therkku Tharavai, the residents, led by village leaders, including G. Muniasamy, P.T. Raja and G. Soundararajan, gathered at the site and staged the protest. As the situation turned tense, Kenikarai Inspector of Police M. Kalai Arasan, deputed by Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena, held talks with the protesters and suggested that the IOC could be allowed to proceed further after a peace meeting with them in the presence of Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao. S. Srikanth, an advocate and resident of Therkku Tharavai, said some IOC officials came to the village in a car but left after seeing the protest. The container-like shed for accommodating security personnel was also not brought to the site after the protest, he claimed. An IOC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said IOC had not started any activity in the village. He declined to share details of the proposed GCS, ahead of laying 142-km-long pipeline for conveying RNG from Ramanathapuram to Thoothukudi. Mr. Srikanth said the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had convened a public hearing on the project at Sayalkudi in January but the hearing was cancelled after the villagers protested. Since then, neither IOC nor TNPCB took any initiative to allay their apprehensions, he said. People of seven villages in Valantharavai panchayat had resolved to leave the villages after surrendering their ration and Aadhaar cards if IOC was allowed to go ahead with the project.

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