The Centre’s recent decision to grant tungsten mining rights in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district has sparked widespread protests in the state. On Monday, the state Assembly passed a unanimous resolution condemning the move.
Here’s what is driving this controversy, and what happens next.
On November 7, the Union Ministry of Mines announced that it had successfully concluded the auction of eight critical mineral blocks, including the Nayakkarpatti tungsten block in Madurai’s Melur taluk. The Ministry of Mines highlighted that the blocks auctioned were part of the Tranche IV of the critical and strategic mineral blocks auction, aimed at bolstering India’s self-reliance in high-tech applications.
The Nayakkarpatti block, spanning 2,015.51 hectares, is rich in scheelite, a primary ore of tungsten, which is critical for aerospace, defence, and green energy technologies. The Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited, a government entity, had identified the area as ideal for tungsten extraction.
Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, emerged as the preferred bidder for the block.
Opposition in TN
Even as the Centre hailed the Nayakkarpatti block as a valuable strategic asset for the country, there arose significant opposition within the state to the conduct of mining activities in the block. Fuelling this opposition are environmental and cultural factors.
The proposed mining site includes Arittapatti, a biodiversity-rich area which also boasts a deep historical and cultural significance. The area “includes many historical monuments such as cave temples, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi scripts, Panchapandavar beds and is a habitat for rare species…”, the resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly stated.
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Environmentalists, archaeologists, and local residents, as well as the Tamil Nadu government, fear that mining would irreparably damage the region’s ecological and cultural landscape.
Environmental organisations like Poovulagin Nanbargal warned that tailings — waste materials from ore processing — from the mine could release heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead, contaminating the soil and water. Such fears are especially heightened given Vedanta’s history of environmental controversies, including at the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi.
Locals in villages such as Terkutteru, Muthuvelpatti, and Kidaripatti, which lie in the earmarked mining zone, also fear that the mining would lead to permanent degradation of their environment, and cause a loss of livlihoods.
On its part, the Centre has stated that only 1.93 sq km of the block spread over 20.16 sq km overlaps with the Arittapatti Biodiversity Heritage Site, which was notified by the Tamil Nadu government in November 2022.
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A Centre-state clash
The controversy has once again reignited debates on federalism and resource management.
The Tamil Nadu government contended that it raised objections to the auction in October 2023, citing the ecological and cultural significance of the proposed site. The Centre, however, claims that no formal communication opposing the auction was received during the process.
TN Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, while introducing the resolution in the state Assembly, alleged that the Centre disregarded the state’s objections. “It is condemnable that despite the concerns raised by the Government of Tamil Nadu on October 3, 2023, to the Union Government not to auction the mining rights for such critical and strategic minerals without the permission of the State Government, the union government disregarded this objection and has proceeded with the auction,” he said.
The TN Assembly passed on December 9, 2024 unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to revoke mining rights at the Nayakkarpatti block. Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a speech during the Assembly session, said that “Tungsten mining will not be allowed under any circumstances. If it comes, then I will not hold this post”.
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Notably, the resolution called on the Centre to seek the consent of state governments for mining projects in the, saying that it should “…not to grant any mining license without the permission of the state governments.”
The Centre is yet to respond to the resolution, even as protests continue to gain momentum in affected villages.
