CHENNAI: A release from Raj Bhavan said one of the key portfolios of Mines and Minerals, presently held by senior minister and leader of the House Duraimurugan, has been transferred to law minister S Regupathy as per the recommendation of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Regupathy will be the new Minister for Natural Resources while the law portfolio he held has will be given to Duraimurugan who will handle it in addition to the Water Resources portfolio he already holds. The reason for the sudden change is still not clear.
Duraimurugan, a veteran DMK leader and general secretary, is ranked third in the seniority of the cabinet, next to CM and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin. He has been holding the portfolio of mines and minerals since the present government came to power in 2021.
The department has always attracted allegations of irregularities in mining, corruption and revenue losses to the exchequer, alongside concerns over environmental impact. The government has recently taken measures to increase revenue from the department by introducing a mineral-bearing land tax, apart from initiatives to use technology to prevent unauthorised mining.
The new tax and some increase in existing taxation faced opposition from quarry owners and increased the cost of many construction materials.