The farmers in the Cauvery Delta region woke up to some good news on Sunday.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami announced seven districts in Cauvery delta — Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Trichy and Karur — as ‘Protected Agricultural Zone’.
The significance of the announcement from the Chief Minister lies in the claim that it will prevent the implementation of projects deleterious to agriculture or farmers in the region. It also comes at a time when the farmers in the delta have been constantly agitating against permission granted to oil and natural gas companies to undertake hydrocarbon exploration projects in the region.