The protestors have exited their village and are now residing in the Ayyanar temple grove. The protest has been staged in demand of the release of those arrested. Villagers are making food on wood stoves in the open to show ONGC that the villagers can do without gas.
ONGC has been extracting crude oil from the lands of Kathiramangalam of Thanjavur district. The villagers of Kathiramangalam have been demanding that ONGC shut down their operations in their village. They claim that the ground water level has been reduced and oil is contaminating drinking water. Villagers also point out that the water will hamper agriculture.
In recent times, the villagers were baton-charged by the police and they were arrested along with Professor Jayaraman who led the protest. Opposing the attack and the arrest, the shops in Kathiramangalam remained closed for 11 days until yesterday.
Places such as Thiruvidaimarudur and Pandanallur have also staged this shutdown in support of Kathiramangalam villagers.
Now, the protestors have exited their village and are now residing in the Ayyanar temple grove. In the cradle tied to the trees they put their children to sleep. They are making food in the wood stoves.
The villagers said, “It is saddening to know that both the central and state governments are not paying any attention to our problems. There is no need for a crude oil inspection. This place is known for both soil and human resources. We are cooking in wood stoves to show ONGC that we can cook even without gas stoves. The people who are arrested should be released immediately. We will continue this protest until then.”
