MADURAI: Over 25 panchayat unions in the district passed a resolution against the mining of tungsten by a private company in 10 blocks of Melur taluk. The resolution was passed during the grama sabha meeting held here on Saturday.
Among the 25 panchayat unions that passed the resolution, 15 including Arittapatti, Vellaripatti, Kambur, Therkutheru, Meenakshipuram, Pulipatti and Kidaripatti, fall under Melur taluk. Similarly, in the Madurai East Union, village panchayats namely Thiruvathavur, Aamoor, Pannaikulam, Chellampatti, and Kallupatti village panchayat union passed the resolution.
The villagers also raised slogans against the union government for granting licence to the private company for mining tungsten in about 5,000 acres in Madurai. They further requested the state government to declare the district as ‘Heritage Tamil Cultural Zone’, and urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to take a policy decision in the Assembly to prevent the mining of tungsten in Melur taluk.
Apart from the panchayat unions in the district, several village panchayats across the state also passed resolution against the mining of tungsten during the grama sabha meetings on Saturday.
PUCL to set up high-level fact finding panel
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) is planning to set up a high-level fact finding committee, consisting of geologists, environmentalists, legal experts and cultural anthropologists, against the mining of tungsten. The panel is expected to release its report at the earliest. In a press statement, PUCL president S Krishnasamy and secretary John Vincent raised several questions regarding the reconnaissance survey (G4) for tungsten and associated mineralisation in Kambalipatti-Rayarpatti- Rajanampatti areas, amendment to the mining rules in September 2023, and the environmental impact of the mining project, among others.
Govt did not give nod to mine tungsten: Minister
The state government did not give any permission to the private company to mine tungsten in Melur taluk, said Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P Moorthy, during the grama sabha meeting in Arittapatti on Saturday.
