Centre cancels tungsten mining in Madurai, villagers celebrate
A day after a group of farmers from Madurai district met Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday in the presence of BJP leaders from Tamil Nadu, the Union government on Thursday announced its decision to annul the auction of the Nayakkarpatti Tungsten mineral block in Melur, Madurai.
In a release, the government stated that the decision was taken after detailed deliberations, considering the importance of the biodiversity heritage site in the area and the Government of India’s commitment, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to protecting traditional rights. The mining rights for the project had been auctioned to Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited.
Kishan Reddy met with “Ambalakarars (traditional community leaders)” from Madurai district at his chamber in the Ministry of Mines, New Delhi, the release said. It further stated that they informed him that the Nayakkarpatti Tungsten mineral block includes the Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site and several cultural heritage sites.
Considering this, they requested him to cancel the auction. The minister assured them that the government would fully support heritage protection.
Following the auction announcement, several representations were received opposing the project on the grounds that the block area contains a biodiversity heritage site, the release added.