NARAMBAI FISHING VILLAGE WON AGAINST MNC : BUT TMC CANDIDATE M.KANDASAMY BENEFITTED

Narambai is a fishing village off the Bay of Bengal within the territorial limits of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. There was an attempt to evacuate the entire village to set up an offshore LPG plant from their traditional homes where they were pursuing their profession for centuries. The Congress Government led by V.Vaithialingam gave clearance to this project, which will hurt the fishing village. The Narambai fishing village Panchayat took up cudgels against this move which snow balled into a fight for finish to both sides. We reproduce in verbatim a report from INDIAN EXPRESS dated 27.05.1995

Dravida Ilaignar Peravai intervenes

While this issue was heating up no political party came forward to address to the concerns of the villagers. The Secretary of Narambai Village Panchayat Mr.A.Kanagasabai and Treasurer Mahalingam met Dravida  Ilaignar Peravai Convener and sought his support .

Dravida Ilaignar Peravai, a forum for uniting youth caught between various Dravidian political outfits had made its appearance in May 1994 at the Pondicherry political scene.

Former Minister G.Viswanathan M.A.B.L Ex M.P, currently the Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology presided, Former Ministers Azhagu Thirunavukkarasu and S.R.Radha, with L.Ilayaperumal Ex M.P on stage, Dravida Ilaignar Peravai was launched. N.Nandhivarman, a life long DMK activist who was on a 15 year self imposed political exile was called upon to undertake the task of uniting the youth.

The association of Dravida Ilaignar Peravai with Narambai Fishermen Panchayat grew day by day cementing an everlasting bond of comradeship. In the ultimate success of the peoples struggle the role of two journalists must be recorded with gratitude. They are T.Manivannan of The Indian Express and M.Ramachandiran of Dinamani Tamil daily. Mr.T.Manivannan is currently the Bureau Chief of Tamil News at BBC London. Dravida Ilaignar Peravai released an unpublished report of an expert study about which a report was filed by T.Manivannan in The Indian Express .

The government which received the interim report in September 1994, is yet to make it public or even place it in the Assembly.Criticising this N.Nandhivarman an environmental activist concentrating on green issues said "allocating money for a study... to escape from criticism and keep even interim reports as sensitive state secrets does not augur well for an open society. enclosing a copy of the Interim Report to the National Human Rights Commission Nandhivarman wanted the commission to direct the Ministry of Environment and Forests to withdraw The delegation of powers conferred on the Pondicherry Pollution Control Committee in 1992 and confer it on the Central Pollution Control Board. 

THEN A WRIT WAS FILED IN HIGH COURT OF MADRAS JOINTLY BY
 NARAMBAI VILLAGE PANCHAYAT AND DRAVIDA PERAVAI

NARAMBAI STRUGGLE BECOMES ELECTION ISSUE

The issue  was made an election issue, Dravida Ilaignar Peravai, meanwhile was renamed as Dravida Peravai. It extended support to the DMK led Alliance in the polls to the Assembly. On the eve of elections the Congress Chief Minister V.Vaithialingam promised the Narambai villagers that his Government will not and had not given No objection Certificate for the proposed LPG plant which will ultimately result in entire village being evacuated. Before the Chief Minister reached the village for his campaign, over night Dravida Peravai and Indian National League had scanned the official file signatures of the No objection Certificate and distributed in pamphlets.

M.KANDASAMY WON  : 

Thus the Chief Minister's false promises were exposed. In that election the Indian National Congress candidate lost. The newly formed  Tamil Maanila Congress candidate HON'BLE M.KANDASAMY won the Bahour seat.Dravida Peravai never contests

[Meanwhile a writ petition jointly by the Narambai Fishermen Village Panchayat and Dravida Peravai was filed at the High Court of Madras. Environmental Lawyers T.Mohan and Ms.Devika Mohan argued these cases on behalf of the petitioners. But the writ was lost.W.P.14328 of 1996 and W.M.P No.19538 of 1996 before the Bench comprising Honourable K.A.SWAMI, Chief Justice and Honourable Justice Kanakaraj was dismissed on 7.03.1997 " Dismissing as infructous the writ petition and dismissed W.M.P as stated within"]

LEGAL BATTLE : 

UNION GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS CLEARANCE: 

HIGH COURT DISMISSES PETITION

ORDER OF THE COURT MADE BY THE HON'BLE CHIEF JUSTICE

In This petition under article 226 of the Constitution, the petitioner has sought for quashing the letter no.J-11012/31-94-1A.II{I] date
19. 01.1995 issued by the first respondent granting environment clearance for starting LPG bottling project.

Several grounds are raised in support of the relief sought for. However it is not necessary to go into the merits of these contentions having regard to the fact that Central Government has now withdrawn the environment clearance given and has held that the project cannot take place in the site proposed in respect of which the clearance was given. The communication is dated  15 th May 1996 and is issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests bearing No J-11012/31/94-IA.II{I} which reads thus

FISHERMEN DRIVE AWAY SURVEY VESSEL

With The High Court of Madras passing this order the setting up of LPG unit must have been laid to rest. But it is not so. Emisaries were sent to N.Nandhivarman to persuade him and use him to pacify the Narambai villagers. A former MLA of Tamil Nadu called him to a Star Hotel in Pondicherry and tried his best. " I have fought against LPG plant when Congress government backed it, now how can I withdraw just because DMK Coalition had come to power" Nandhivarman retorded. Then one fine morning when fishermen woke up for the day, the found new vessels near their village surveying. This was on May 8 th 1997, two months after the High Court judgement. The infuriarated villagers took theit catamarans and boats went racing to the vessel. The officials who had come to survey on behalf of the LPG plant sponsors fled from the scene. This heroic struggle is recoded by Dinamani Tamil Daily on May 10-1997