Paddy seeds sown on a field at Melapanaiyur near Mannargudi were affected due to a leak in the crude oil pipeline of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
The oil spill was noticed by the land owner, Sivakumar on Wednesday morning when he arrived at the field to irrigate the kuruvai crop cultivated by him through the direct sowing method. Immediately, ONGC officials were informed about the development and they started necessary work to plug the leak.
Meanwhile, Mr.Sivakumar told reporters that only a compensation of ₹10 lakh would help negate the loss he had suffered now and in view of the contamination of the soil due to the oil leak, since it would take years to revive soil health. He said he had spent several thousands of rupees in sowing the kuruvai paddy seeds on his eight acres of land at Melapanaiyur.
Talking to reporters, the village panchayat president, Jeevanandam demanded that the oil pipelines laid through the agriculture fields in the village be removed since they were laid two decades ago. Further, removal of the oil pipeline network would alone justify the declaration of the Delta districts as a protected agriculture zone, he maintained.
