Arittapatti tungsten mining: Won't allow even soil test, says Madurai MP

Issue raised in Parliament

While the DMK government says the Centre didn’t consult with it before giving the project a go-ahead, Madurai MP Su Venkatesan, belonging to the Left, has accused the Narendra Modi government of disrespecting the heritage value of Tamil language and the historical significance of historical Arittapatti by allowing mining activities in the areas.

Venkatesan told The Federal, that when he wanted to raise serious concerns about the project in Parliament, he was granted merely one-and-a-half minutes to make his case.

Also read: TN notifies 2 Madurai villages as the first biodiversity heritage site

The Centre had already permitted Hindustan Zinc Limited, a subsidiary of the Vedanta Group, to mine tungsten on 2,015 hectares near Alagar Hills in Arittapatti. The state government says it was not taken into confidence for the same.

Unrest in Arittapatti

Speaking to The Federal about his opposition to the project and the uproar in his constituency, the CPI(M) MP said the irate villagers of Arittapatti would not allow authorities to conduct even soil tests for the project.

“Hundreds of villagers are in unrest. Despite the village being declared the first biodiversity heritage site by the Tamil Nadu government in 2022, the Centre approved the mining project without consideration. The village has inscriptions in the Tamil Brahmi script, which predates the Brahmi script used in the Edicts of Ashoka,” he told The Federal.

Historical past, legacy of Pandya rulers

Urging the Centre to cancel the auction order given to the private firm, Venkatesan said that every road in the village carries the legacy of the erstwhile Pandya kings.

"Arittapatti has a prehistoric bed dating back 3,500 years. There is a Tamil inscription from 2,200 years ago, the first material evidence for the written form of the Tamil language, known as Tamil Brahmi. There is also a Jain sculpture from 2,000 years ago and a Shiva temple built by the early Pandya kings 1,200 years ago. Additionally, a reservoir constructed by the later Pandya kings is 800 years old. This historical site cannot be damaged," Venkatesan said, explaining the importance of the village.

Also read: TN tungsten mining: Why this project has sparked such widespread opposition

Archaeologists confirmed to The Federal that inscriptions found in Arittapatti are much older than those dating back to the time of Emperor Ashoka, and the conservation of these inscriptions is crucial for understanding trade connections in Tamil Nadu during the 2nd century BCE.

Keezhadi vs Arittapatti

During his speech in Parliament, Venkatesan said that throughout history, Arittapatti has been a place rich in historical monuments and that the Union government’s decision to set up a tungsten mine there should be reversed.

He questioned how the Centre, which did not grant permission for a 10-foot deep archaeological excavation in Keezhadi, approved an entire mining project spanning several hundred kilometres in Arittapatti.

Also read: Keeladi: What makes Tamil Nadu keep digging deeper

“This move will destroy both the agricultural resources and history of Tamil Nadu. The people of Tamil Nadu will oppose this. Resolutions have already been passed in every village against this move,” he said.

Rich in heritage value, biodiversity

When The Federal contacted archaeologist KT Gandhi Rajan of Tamil Nadu Virutal University, he said that Arittapatti village is as significant as Keezhadi village when it comes to historical heritage.

He said that there is archaeological evidence that people were living in this region 2,700 years ago, and they were educated and had the practice of documenting their contributions.

“Excavations in Keezhadi village sparked a major awakening among historians in India. Many openly called for the need to rewrite the history of the country. Similarly Arittapatti holds heritage value that cannot be measured in terms of money. While inscriptions in Arittapatti were decoded in the early 1970s, the village was only recently recognised. The Tamil Nadu government has also established a virtual tour to the protected monuments of this village to increase interest in history among youth," he said.

Also read: How the laggar falcon helped TN's Arittapatti get Biodiversity Heritage Site status

Experts say that apart from historical inscriptions, the village is home to 250 species of birds, many species of wildlife, and acts as a watershed, recharging natural springs and lakes.

Why didn’t Stalin govt protest earlier? asks BJP

Amid the stiff opposition to the project by residents and the ruling party alike, BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu have accused both DMK and its alliance partners of blocking important industrial projects in the state for political gains.

BJP state president K Annamalai said the state government did not oppose the project until the Union government cleared it and awarded the tender.

Also read: Why deciphering inscriptions is the first step to understanding history

"If there was opposition, the state should have expressed it beforehand. Why did the chief minister wait till 10 months after the tender was floated to write to the Centre opposing it?" he asked.

He added that the tungsten mining project in Arittapatti has both advantages and disadvantages. "There would be displacement of people from the area identified for mining if it proceeds, but at the same time, numerous jobs would be generated, and villagers would become independent. Only when people become aware and raise their voices will the politics of protest end," he said.