Here are the big stories from Tamil Nadu today

Welcome to the Tamil Nadu Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today. Curated and written by Lalitha Ranjani.

Two weeks after a crack in its underwater pipeline led to oil spill off Nagapattinam coast near Pattinamcherry hamlet on March 2, the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) assured to permanently remove the crude oil pipeline by May 31. The consensus was reached during a peace meeting convened by the Nagapattinam district administration.

The pipeline that was laid in the year 2003 used to carry crude oil from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s Narimanam oil wells to the CPCL’s now-defunct second refinery at Nagapattinam.

The decision follows protests by fishermen of Pattinamcherry and its adjoining villages who had abstained from venturing to the sea for a few days.

A day after his house was vandalised by the supporters of Minister K.N. Nehru, DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi N. Siva, who spoke to journalists at Tiruchi, said he was pained by the attack on his residence. He went on to add: “I have many things to say, will speak at appropriate time.”

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition and AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, in his statement, condemned the attack on a policewoman when the loyalists of Minister Mr. Nehru barged into the Sessions Court Police Station. “It is the first time that the State witness a powerless Chief Minister who is unable to control his own Minister and partymen,” he pointed out.

Two women workers — K. Muniammal (65) of Nagadasampatti village and B. Palaniammal (50) of Mecheri in Salem — were killed in a blast at a firecracker unit in Nagadasampatti village in Papparapatti in Dharmapuri district. One other worker, identified as P. Sivalingam was grievously injured. 

The fire was reportedly caused by friction when the workers were working with an inflammable chemical at the workstation of one of the workers.