10-06-2025
Farmers begin sit-in protest at Avinashipalayam opposing BPCL's pipeline project across agricultural fields
Farmers began their sit-in protest at Avinashipalayam on Tuesday demanding that the Coimbatore-Muthur and Coimbatore-Karur pipelines of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited be laid alongside the roads instead of agricultural fields.
Referring to the crash in the land value due to laying of Coimbatore-Karur pipeline by BPCL across agricultural fields 25 years ago, farmers lamented that they were unable to get crop loans.
During the protest led by general secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association Muthuvishwanathan, the farmers called for immediate halt of the pipeline work by BPCL, under its Irugur-Devengothi Pipeline (IDPL) project, along the 70-km distance from Coimbatore to Muthur cutting across farmlands, reminding the State government about a resolution adopted in the Assembly in 2013 for laying all petroleum pipelines along the roads. This was reiterated as a poll promise by the DMK government.
However, despite the farmers risking loss of livelihood due to the project, the BPCL was attempting to lay a new pipeline alongside an existing one based on the previous clearance. The farmers would not permit this, Mr. Muthuvishwanathan said.
