MADURAI: Citing damage to the Arittapatti biodiversity heritage site, the Tamil Nadu Environmental Protection Movement Coordinator RS Mukilan urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to cancel the sanction to a private company to mine tungsten in 10 villages of Melur taluk.
The members petitioned Collector MS Sangeetha to make efforts to revoke the permission given by the union government to the company which had recently secured rights to mine tungsten from around 5,000 acres in 10 villages, namely Terku Theru, Muthuvelpatti, Kulanipatti, Etimangalam, Arittapatti, Vellalappatti, Sillippyapatti, Chettiyarpatti, and Nayakkarpatti in Melur taluk in the district.
Mukilan, while addressing the media, said that all these villages depend on agriculture for their livelihood. In such a situation, the mining will deplete the natural resources, affecting people’s livelihood. It will also affect the biodiversity of Arittapatti and Alagar Kovil hills, hence mining must not be allowed. He voiced concerns that residents may be forced to vacate from the area as their groundwater could be used up for the project.