Agency reports suggest that the union environment ministry would urge ONGC to decommission an abandoned pipeline project in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu because the project has adverse effect on the surrounding ecology.
It is learnt that an crude oil leak from the pipeline may affect the marine lives and agriculture in two villages of Nagapattinam. Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan recently visited the affected villages where the crude oil leak has affected many acre of cultivable land, reports suggest.
It is learnt that the oil leaked from the pipeline sometime ago and there is no threat of new leakage as the pipeline is not being used since the last leakage sometime back.
Following this, the ministry may issue notice to ONGC asking it to decommission all the abandoned pipelines. The ministry dismissed the ONGC claims that only 10 acre of land have been affected owing to the crude oil leak from the abandoned pipeline belonging to the public sector undertaking.
Natarajan has taken up the matter with Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily and asked him to arrange for adequate compensation to the affected farmers.
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