Chennai: “The central government issued a tender for tungsten mining this year and the government remained silent until the license of Hindustan Zinc Limited was finalized. The news that the central mining department had rejected the state government’s request reached the people of Madurai district and the people of the area engaged in protests and agitations, so a separate resolution was brought against the tungsten mining,” alleged Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Edappadi Palaniswami.
A separate government resolution was brought in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly urging the central government to immediately cancel the tungsten mining license granted to Hindustan Zinc Company in Nayakkarpatti village of Melur taluk, Madurai district, and not to issue any mining license without the permission of the state government. Subsequently, the assembly members spoke on the government’s separate resolution.
At that time, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Edappadi Palaniswami, spoke: The government press release states that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on 20.11.2024 after the Central Government granted mining licenses to set up tungsten mines in several surrounding villages including Melur Taluk, Aritapatti, Nayakkarpatti in Madurai district. In that letter, it is stated that the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister wrote a letter on 3.10.2023, to which a reply was received from the Central Government on 2.11.2023.
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However, the full details in these two letters have not been disclosed. According to the information we have received, the Mining and Minerals Development and Regulation Amendment Act, 2023 has come into force from 17.3.2023, and it seems that the Central Government sent the letter to all the state governments in September 2023 itself. Further, in this amendment brought by the Central Government, it seems that the Central Government has stated that the Central Department of Mines will implement the auction system for 20 rare minerals like platinum and tungsten, declaring them as critical minerals. Through this, it is clear that the Central Government has clearly stated in its letter written in September last year that tungsten has been brought in the list of critical minerals.
So, did the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister express his opposition to this government in his letter written to the Central Department of Mines on 3.10.2023? When this amendment was brought in Parliament, the DMK MPs and MPs from its coalition parties could have put all their pressure on it and stopped the amendment there. This government has failed to do that. When the Central Government brings projects that could affect the people of Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Parliamentarians should have been in a position to stop it. They have failed to do that job. He said this.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu responded, “When the central government sent this draft amendment bill to the states and asked for their comments, the Tamil Nadu government categorically expressed its opposition. We did not agree to it as it interferes with the rights of the state government. The central government opposed the intervention of the central government without the consent of a state government. Moreover, the central government has passed that bill based on its absolute majority in Parliament. The DMK government had opposed this draft amendment bill.” He replied.
Speaking further, Edappadi Palaniswami said, “When state rights are being taken away, the members of Parliament should have put appropriate pressure there. Since the central government has a majority, if it is passed, it is the people of Tamil Nadu who are affected. The law has been passed in Parliament, and the central government has conducted the mining auction based on it.
Furthermore, when the central government issued a tender for the tungsten mine this year, this government remained silent for about 10 months until the license of Hindustan Zinc Limited was finalized, that is, until 7.11.2024. There has been a gap of ten months. The government could have expressed its opposition within that time. But this government has not expressed opposition. The Central Mines Department has clearly stated on its X-site that the state government has not requested the central government to abandon the tender.
Therefore, we have been forced into this situation because the Tamil Nadu government did not convey its views to the central government in due time on the tungsten mining issue. On 3.10.2023, that is, a year ago, as soon as the news reached the people of Madurai district that the central government had written a letter to the state government and that the central mine department had rejected the state government’s request, the people of the area started protesting and fighting. Following that, this government had no other option and wrote a letter to the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister. Now, this separate resolution has also been brought,” he said.
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