TN wouldn’t allow tungsten mining in Madurai, Chief Minister Stalin tells PM Modi
Stalin asked Modi to cancel the tungsten mining project, and also instruct mining ministry to not float bids without states’ consent
Chief Minister M K Stalin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: Daily Thanthi)
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government would never allow any mining, like the proposed tungsten mining project in Madurai, in densely populated villages, Chief Minister MK Stalin told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his immediate intervention to cancel the award of tungsten mining rights given to Hindustan Zinc Limited in Madurai.
In the letter to the Prime Minister on November 29, Stalin added that the Centre should not float any bids for mining without the consent of the State government concerned.
The Mines Ministry declared Hindustan Zinc Limited as the preferred bidder of Nayakkarpatti Tungsten block (Critical and Strategic Mineral) on November 7. The block is spread across Kavattayampatty, Ettimangalam, A.Vallalapatty, Arittapatty, Kidaripatty and Narasingampatty villages.
“Among them, Arittapatti is a notified Bio-Diversity Heritage site and is famous for archaeological monuments, including cave temples, sculptures, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi Scripts, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds. Any mining activity will cause irreparable damage to these sites,” Stalin said.
“In addition, commercial mining in such densely populated villages will definitely affect the people in these villages. This has caused immense anguish to the people, who fear that their livelihood may be lost forever. Hence, the government of Tamil Nadu would never allow any such mining to be undertaken in these areas,” said the DMK president.
Considering the situation, Prime Minister Modi should instruct the Ministry of Mines to cancel the award of tungsten mining rights given to Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group firm, in Madurai, Stalin added in the letter.
The Chief Minister recalled how the State Minister for Water Resources and Natural Resources had raised concerns about auctioning of mining rights of critical and strategic minerals in a letter dated October 10, 2023. But the Centre rejected it stating that the auction of critical minerals by Ministry of Mines cannot be withheld, in the larger interests of the country.
But the PM should instruct the ministry to desist from floating any bids for mining without the consent of the State government concerned, Stalin said.