
CHENNAI: The union government on Thursday announced the annulment of the auction of Tamil Nadu’s Nayakkarpatti tungsten mineral block, which is near the Arittapatti biodiversity site and a number of cultural heritage spots, in Madurai district.
The announcement came after widespread, sustained protests by the local community and unanimous opposition to the project from all TN political parties.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly had also passed a resolution urging the centre to scrap the project.
On Wednesday, representatives of the local communities from Madurai had also met union mines minister G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi, in the presence of BJP state president K Annamalai and a few other leaders, and urged him to cancel the sale of the block.
The mining right was auctioned to Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of the Vedanta group, in November 2024.
The union government, in a statement, said the decision was taken after detailed deliberations, considering the importance of the biodiversity heritage site and commitment of the Government of India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, towards protecting traditional rights.
Reacting to the announcement, Chief Minister M K Stalin said the centre has yielded to the people’s sentiments and the state government’s determination. Stating that the centre should not hold such auctions without the consent of the respective state governments, Stalin also took a dig at the AIADMK, urging the party to not support legislations that go against the state’s rights.