Lok Sabha Question No. 268 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-05
Subject: ONGC Project in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: ANBUMANI RAMADOSS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 268 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5.02.2018 ONGC Project in Tamil Nadu

268. DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS:

## पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्री

## Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether the  Government is aware of the claims of the people of Kathiramangalam and Neduvasal, Tamil Nadu that environmental degradation and land and ground water pollution occurs because of ONGC projects and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the measures taken by the Government/ONGC to protect and prevent the environmental degradations and land and ground water pollution;

- (c)  whether  the  Government proposes to extract Methane or any other Hydrocarbon in the Cauvery Delta Region and if so, the details thereof; and

(d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  declare  the  Cauvery  Delta  region  as  'Protected Agricultural  Zone'  to  prevent  further  installation  and  implementation  of  environmentally hazardous industrial projects in the cauvery delta region and if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## Answer पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राक ृ लिक गैस मंत्रािय में मंत्री ( श्री धमेंद्र प्रधान )

## MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) & (b):  Under Discovered Small Field (DSF) Policy bid round 2016, the Government has approved award of 31 contract areas including Neduvasal, Tamil Nadu contract area to the successful bidders for early development of fields. Subsequently, some local people/organizations,  have  submitted  representations  objecting  to  the  award  of  above discovered small field expressing apprehension regarding possible environmental impact.

For starting any petroleum activity, operator of the field awarded under DSF has to obtain or get the requisite Mining Lease transferred from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited through the State Government. After the grant/transfer of lease, to start any actual operations the operator will have to get requisite environmental clearances from State Government  /  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  by  following  the prescribed process. The awarded projects are taken up for production only after following the requisite process including obtaining environmental clearances.

ONGC is not starting any new project in Kathiramangalam village, Thanjavur.

Further,  ONGC  has  been  carrying  Exploration  and  Production  (E&P)  activities  in Cauvery  Basin  including  Neduvasal,  Tamil  Nadu  for  more  than  50  years  and  no  adverse effect  have  been  noticed  in  respect  of  agriculture  and  ecology.  Besides,  ONGC  is  also working for socio-economic development of the region under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

(c)  & (d)              Exploration and Production activities in the Cauvery Delta region are limited to production of convention oil and gas resources.   There are no Coal Bed Methane (CBM)/Shale gas activities going on in the State of Tamil Nadu.  ONGC is neither carrying out nor having any plans for exploitation of Shale gas, Shale oil or CBM in Cauvery Basin. Further,  Exploration  and  Production  activities  are  coexisting  with  agriculture  not  only  in Tamil Nadu but also in several delta regions in the other parts of the country.

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