Chennai, Mar 7 (IANS): The fishermen of Nagapattinam have temporarily called off their protests after a tripartite meeting between the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), the district administration and the fishermen. This followed the district collector assuring the fishermen that their major demand for the total removal of CPCL pipelines would be met.

The district collector, according to the fishermen's representatives, said that oil would not be pumped from ONGC wells through the CPCL pipelines.

The fishermen of Pattinamcherry, Keechankuppam, Akkaraipettai, Ariyanatutheru and Kallar held a meeting and passed a resolution on Tuesday to temporarily call off the protest.

The collector said that the district administration would hold a meeting with CPCL officials on March 16 to decide on when the CPCL would remove the pipelines.

An oil spill was detected from the CPCL pipeline that used to carry oil from the Naraimanam oil wells of the ONGC to the CPCL's defunct oil refinery at Nagapattinam.

Experts have predicted that the oil will settle only after two months and that the oil spill will endanger marine life.