MADURAI: Claiming that the Centre is hell-bent on bringing in tungsten mining in Arittapatti, CPM Madurai MP Su Venkatesan said he and the Madurai people would block it at all costs.

In a statement, he said the people would never allow Hindustan Zinc Limited even to conduct soil for testing as part of executing the project.

He slammed the Centre for trying to implement the project despite opposition from the Tamil Nadu government. In response to CM Stalin's opposition to the auction of the Nayakkarpatti tungsten block, the Centre has used a sub-clause of the Mines Act which empowers the Union government to carry on without the approval of the local government, the Left MP said.

This indicates how the BJP-led central government is keen on bringing in the mining project at all costs, the Madurai MP said.

The central government had already given a nod to Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Group, for mining tungsten on 2015.51 hectares near Alagar hills.

The mining block near Arittapatti, a biodiversity heritage site, has led to protests among villagers. With all of its heritage value and significance, Arittapatti is seen as a symbol of the cultural identity of the people of the State.