MK Stalin urges PM Modi to cancel tungsten mining rights in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to cancel the recently approved tungsten mining rights in Madurai district.
In a strongly worded letter, Stalin highlighted the potential ecological and social impacts of the decision and called for the Union government to respect the state’s concerns.
Stalin reminded the Prime Minister that the Tamil Nadu government had previously raised objections to the auctioning of mining rights for critical and strategic minerals.
In a letter dated October 3, 2023, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Water Resources and Natural Resources Duraimurugan, had conveyed these concerns, but the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal, and Mines rejected the appeal on November 2, 2023, stating that such auctions could not be withheld due to national interests.
The controversy escalated when the Union Ministry of Mines declared Hindustan Zinc Limited as the preferred bidder for the Nayakkarpatti Tungsten Block under Tranche IV on November 7, 2024. This block includes several villages such as Kavattayampatty, Etti Mangalam, A.Vellalapatti, Arittapatti, Kidaripatty, and Narasingampatty.
Among these, Arittapatti, a notified Biodiversity Heritage Site, is particularly significant for its archaeological monuments, including ancient cave temples, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi scripts, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds.
Stalin warned that mining activities in this area would cause irreparable damage to these heritage sites.