Public hearing critical to mining projects, writes CM Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the withdrawal of a recent Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, exempting mining projects of atomic, critical, and strategic minerals from mandatory public consultation.

In his letter, the CM noted that the memorandum, issued on September 8, directs all such projects to be appraised at the Central level regardless of the lease area involved. He cautioned that this exemption undermines environmental safeguards and deprives local communities of their right to raise concerns over displacement, livelihood loss, and ecological damage.

Stalin highlighted that Tamil Nadu's coastal districts, particularly the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, contain rare earth mineral deposits but are ecologically fragile. These coastal systems host turtle nesting grounds, coral reefs, mangroves, and dunes, which act as natural shields against erosion and cyclones. Mining in such sensitive regions, he said, requires stringent scrutiny and active participation of local communities.

Recalling that the 1994 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, amended in 1997, introduced mandatory public hearings as a milestone in participatory environmental governance, Stalin warned that diluting this safeguard would weaken democratic principles. He also cited Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal rulings that barred significant changes to the EIA framework through executive instructions such as office memorandums.

He stressed that policy changes of such importance must be debated transparently in Parliament and State Legislatures with consultations involving states and the public. Urging the Union Government to immediately withdraw the memorandum, Stalin reaffirmed Tamil Nadu's commitment to supporting the nation's strategic and defence needs.