GEECL Faces Protest at Tamil Nadu CBM Block

Farmer group in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have registered protest at various places against the proposed coal-bed methane (CBM) project planned by Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd (GEECL).

The state had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd (GEECL) for extracting methane at the Mannargudi CBM block.

Farmers have demanded hefty compensation for the damages that their land has seen, The Hindu newspaper reported.

Alleging that the permit was granted in a clandestine manner with the GEECL aiming at petroleum exploration licence, the farmer’s wing of the Communist Party of India appealed to the State government to drop the proposal, the newspaper said.

The exploration, besides destroying farmlands, would increase the water salinity. The impact would not be confined to Mannargudi, they said.