On Monday, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi Palaniswami had taken a jibe of opposing the Central government's decision to exempt the public consultation over implementing the hydrocarbon projects. He has addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he urged the center to scrap its decision and the amendment of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.

In his letter, the Chief Minister informed that neither draft of the notification circulated to the state nor it had given the prospect to the concerned stakeholders and to the state government to table the views before issuing the notification dated 16.1.2020.

By underlining that the proposed hydrocarbon projects would be camped in the delta districts which are the ecologically fragile zone, the Chief Minister requested the center to maintain the status quo, in the Cauvery delta districts, which mandates the requirement of the environmental clearance and public consultation for 'off-shore and on-shore and gas exploration, production and development projects'. 

In his letter, he recalled his earlier address to the Minister of State of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in which he highlighted the strong opposition to the Hydrocarbon projects and the need for requiring consultation from the public and the stakeholders with the view of ensuring that the lives and interests of the farmers of the area are protected.

By claiming that the current notification will debar the public views, he pointed out the necessity of taking the consents and consultation from the public while implementing these projects to make sure that their cooperation is involved during the project's rollout.

His notion of urging the Center has come days after the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change had proposed the amendment to the earlier notification of 2006. On January 16th, the Union Ministry has amended and graphed the on-shore and off-shore oil and gas exploration projects as 'B2 projects' that forgo the requirement of the public consultation while implementing the projects.