KANNIYAKUMARI: People of all faiths in Killiyoor taluk have come together to oppose IREL (India) Limited’s proposal to mine atomic minerals from the area. The public sector undertaking has been operating a unit in Manavalakurichi town since 1970 to mine monazite, zircon and associated minerals.
To meet the requirement of strategic materials, the Department of Atomic Energy in 2015 sought the concurrence of Tamil Nadu government to reserve 1,144.0618 ha of monazite-rich area more in Kanniyakumari district for procuring atomic minerals through the IREL.
Upon receiving the concurrence, the Ministry of Mines issued a notification in 2021 reserving the area for mining. The area to be leased out came under the revenue villages of Keezhmidalam-A, Midalam-B, Enayamputhenthurai, Ezhudesam-A, B and C and Kollencode-A and B, in Killiyoor taluk.
Hindus, Muslims and Christians in these villages have united to oppose this extension of the mining proposal and have been staging demonstrations against the project in the coastal areas. Thoothoor Vicar Forane Silvester Kuris said people of all faiths from the coastal areas of Erayumanthurai to Neerodi, and the plains from Kalingarajapuram to Kalladithoppu, have joined together to fight.
“We have formed a movement named ‘Anu Kanima Suranga Ethirppu Makkal Iyakkam’ and organised a mass protest at Chinnathurai on Saturday to oppose the mining proposal,” he added.
Killiyoor Congress MLA S Rajesh Kumar said all residents of these villages are against the IREL’s plan to extend mining in the region. He urged the government not to allow this project without eliciting the opinions of the people who inhabit the villages that would be affected.
Concurring with the view, Poothurai Muslim Jamath secretary M Mohamed Kamil said mining of atomic minerals would adversely impact their areas. B Raja from Kalingarajapuram said that the expansion of the IREL mining area would affect our livelihood. “It should be scrapped. 100% of the people here are against this proposal,” he added.