It's betrayal to oppose projects good for Tamil Nadu, says Pon Radhakrishnan
Chennai: Averring that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government is always keen on addressing people’s concern, Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said the proposed hydrocarbon project for Tamil Nadu will be beneficial to the state. Blindly opposing such developmental projects, without realising the merits, tantamounts to betraying Tamil Nadu, he claimed.
The project at Neduvasal and Karaikkal (which are among the 31 contract areas – 44 fields including 28 on-land and 16 off-shore) help to realise the hydrocarbons volume of 40 MMT oil and 22.0 BCM of gas which will be monetised over a period of 15 years. The production from these contract areas will supplement the domestic production. Lashing out at the political parties opposing the Hydrocarbon project for the sake of opposing, Radhakrishnan said merely opposing the project without research or understanding about the benefits accruing from it amounts to betraying the State. “Leaders should take a decision after understanding its merits or demerits. I am not saying that it should come about anyhow. Those with technically sound knowledge alone could come up with counter argument,” he said.
Earlier, speaking about the hydrocarbon project, in Tiruchy on Saturday, after paying homage to party senior and member of the general council Nagarajan, Radhakrishnan stressed, “I am not saying it should be blindly accepted. If it’s not good, then it need not come. If it’s good it should come up. I will not accept any leader who opposes it for the sake of opposing,” he said and assured that the Centre would never do anything against the concerns of the public.
Meanwhile, BJP national secretary H. Raja claimed the Centre never coerced any decision on the public and contended that this project was initiated by the previous Congress regime. There would be a proper discussion with experts in order to resolve the concerns of the farmers whose apprehensions would be addressed.
