The mining project had faced fierce opposition since November 2023, when the Union government granted permission to Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group subsidiary, to mine tungsten across 2,015.15 hectares in the Melur block of Madurai district.
Published Jan 23, 2025 | 8:37 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 23, 2025 | 11:28 PM
The Union government on Thursday, 23 January, announced the annulment of the controversial auction of the Nayakkarpatti tungsten mineral block in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district, which had faced widespread opposition from local communities and environmental groups.
Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy met local community leaders in his New Delhi office on Tuesday, where they requested the project’s cancellation, citing the need to protect the Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site and traditional rights of local communities.
“After detailed deliberations, considering the importance of the Biodiversity Heritage Site in the area and the commitment of the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership towards protecting traditional rights, it has been decided to annul the auction,” the ministry said in a statement.
On behalf of the farmers of Melur block of Madurai District and the people of TN, we thank our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl for considering the request of our hardworking farmers and his decision to cancel the auction of the Tungsten Mineral block in the villages in the Melur… pic.twitter.com/GYdiIr1PU6
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 23, 2025
The mining project had faced fierce opposition since November 2023, when the Union government granted permission to Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group subsidiary, to mine tungsten across 2,015.15 hectares in the Melur block of Madurai district.
The proposed mining area included land near Tamil Nadu’s first biodiversity heritage site at Arittapatti, which houses 72 lakes, 200 natural springs, and several historical structures including 2,200-year-old Tamil inscriptions and Jain temples.
Madurai MP Su Venkatesan had earlier written to the Union minister demanding cancellation of the allocation, arguing that the project threatened both ecological preservation and Tamil cultural heritage. The area is home to 250 bird species, including rare raptors such as the laggard falcon.
In its statement, the ministry acknowledged receiving multiple representations against the auction since December 2024, highlighting concerns about the biodiversity site within the block area.
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai welcomed the decision, thanking Prime Minister Modi and praising the move as evidence of the prime minister’s commitment to farmers’ welfare.
“On behalf of the farmers of Melur block of Madurai District and the people of TN, we thank our Hon PM Narendra Modi for considering the request of our hardworking farmers and his decision to cancel the auction of the Tungsten Mineral block in the villages in the Melur block,” he wrote on X.
“This decision reiterates our Hon PM’s commitment to the welfare of our farmers and exemplifies our beloved PM’s ‘walk the talk’ in upholding their livelihood. We again thank our Hon Minister of Coal & Mines Minister Kishan Reddy for meeting the delegation of Ambalakarar and farmers & considering their representation.”
Anbumani Ramadoss, the President of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), similarly welcomed the decision, stating that it reflects respect for the sentiments of the local community, which had strongly opposed the project.
அரிட்டாப்பட்டி டங்ஸ்டன் சுரங்க ஏலம் ரத்து வரவேற்கத்தக்கது: பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட பல்லுயிர் புராதனச் சின்னங்கள் பாதுகாப்பு மண்டலமாக தமிழ்நாடு அரசு அறிவிக்க வேண்டும்!
மதுரை மாவட்டம் மேலூர் அருகே அரிட்டாப்பட்டியை உள்ளடக்கிய பகுதிகளில் டங்ஸ்டன் சுரங்கம் அமைப்பதற்காக நடத்தப்பட்ட ஏலம்…
— Dr ANBUMANI RAMADOSS (@draramadoss) January 23, 2025
“PMK’s position is that no project that would harm agricultural lands and the environment should be implemented in Tamil Nadu. It was on this basis that PMK was the first to oppose when the central government granted permission to Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company that destroyed the Thoothukudi area, to establish a tungsten mine across 2,015 hectares in the Arittapatti area of Madurai district,” he wrote in a post on X.
“I had also exposed how the DMK government, which initially supported this project, opposed it only after public protests emerged. I also participated in the protest held there on December 26.”
He further urged the government to designate Arittapatti as a “Protected Archaeological and Biodiversity Zone” to ensure that similar projects are not proposed in the future.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
