Editorial: Windmills of the Gods

Last month, the Union Ministry of Mines announced its decision to annul the auction of the tungsten mineral block at Nayakkarpatti in Madurai. The decision came in the aftermath of powerful agitations staged by the locals who were dead against the auction. The Assembly had subsequently adopted a special resolution urging the Union government to immediately cancel the tungsten mining rights that had been granted to a major company. The government's turn was prompted by a reconsideration of the region's important biodiversity-rich heritage site status.

It might be recalled that Nayakkarpatti was among eight critical and strategic mineral blocks, spanning 5,000 acres that were put up for auction in February 2023, by the Ministry of Mines. The contract for mining 2,015.51 hectares was eventually awarded to Vedanta's Hindustan Zinc Limited. However, the Melur region, which was proposed for mining includes the villages Nayakkarpatti and Arittapatti, the latter of which was notified as Tamil Nadu's first biodiversity heritage site in 2022. Together, the two villages comprise several heritage sites, while being rich in scheelite, a key source of Tungsten.

It is worth noting that the Nayakkarpatti block comprises 11 villages including Arittapatti. There are seven granite hills spread across areas of the Koolampatti, Arittapatti, Nayakkarpatti and Meenakshipuram villages, and these are historically significant. These hills contain artefacts dating back to the 16th century Pandya kingdom. They include several megalithic structures, rock-cut temples, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, and Jain beds. Two Brahmi stone inscriptions dating back to 2,300 years could be found in Kazhinja Malai, which is one of the seven hills. The Arittapatti biodiversity heritage site is home to 250 species of birds including raptors, and wildlife such as the Indian pangolin and slender loris. The biodiversity is also amplified by the presence of 200 natural spring ponds and three check dams.

Several activists opposed to the auctioning had also pointed to studies in China which showed that communities located near tungsten mining sites experienced elevated levels of tungsten in soil and water, leading to increased health risks. What makes the annulment even more significant is when one realises that the state government has no say in projects such as these. Recall that in an order dated Oct 21, 2024, the Ministry of Mines had said that it was empowered to auction blocks for the grant of an exploration license under Section 20A of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.

There is a bigger concern of geopolitical advantages when it comes to the mining of minerals. Two years ago, critical minerals were included in the aforementioned Act. It seemed to be a reactionary measure in line with the US government’s 2018 policy which aimed at securing critical minerals to shift the economic heavyweight’s dependence from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Tungsten or wolfram happens to be crucial for industries including defence, as well as high tech sectors.

Per the Indian Minerals Yearbook 2020, the total demand for tungsten in India can only be met by imports and recycling, as there is no indigenous production of tungsten ore and concentrates. Distribution wise, Karnataka boasts of containing 42% of the nation’s tungsten resources, followed by Rajasthan at 27%; Andhra Pradesh at 17%; Maharashtra with 9%; while Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal make up for 5%. The annulment of the auction seems to have set the right example, striking a balance between environmental/ heritage preservation concerns and India’s strategic need for minerals exploration.