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The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government’s decision to extend the validity of the land reservation granted to Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) by one year for its proposed beach sand atomic mineral mining project in Kanyakumari district is drawing criticism
A Government Order (GO) issued by the Department of Natural Resources on June 10 extended the validity of the reservation until June 10, 2027. The reservation, first granted by the Union Ministry of Mines on June 11, 2021, was due to expire on June 10 this year. The move has drawn flak since TVK was earlier opposed to the project.
The extension covers 1,144.06 hectares (about 2,827 acres) of coastal land across eight villages in Tamil Nadu’s Kiliyoor taluk — Keezhmidalam-A, Midalam-B, Enayamputhenthurai, Ezhudesam-A, Ezhudesam-B, Ezhudesam-C, Kollangode-A, and Kollangode-B.
The project proposes mining beach sand minerals, including ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, zircon, monazite, garnet, and sillimanite, several of which are classified as atomic minerals because of their importance in nuclear energy, national security, and various industrial applications.
IREL, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy, had applied for a mining lease on June 25, 2021, shortly after the Union government reserved the land for the project. The mining plan was approved by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) in February 2024.
However, the company is yet to obtain Environmental Clearance (EC) and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, both of which are mandatory before mining can commence.
A public hearing proposed as part of the environmental clearance process was later cancelled following protests and legal challenges from residents.
Subsequently, in September 2025, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change exempted mining projects involving atomic minerals from mandatory public hearings on grounds of national defence and security.
IREL later applied for CRZ clearance, which is still under consideration.
With the five-year validity of the reservation nearing expiry, IREL sought a one-year extension from the Tamil Nadu government in January 2026.
The Director of Geology and Mining recommended the extension in April, citing the strategic importance of the minerals, following which the state government approved the request on June 10.
However, the latest order does not permit mining operations to begin. Instead, it extends the validity of the land reservation, allowing IREL additional time to secure the remaining aforesaid approvals required before a mining lease can be executed.
The government’s decision has attracted criticism because TVK had earlier taken a public stand against the project.
In a resolution passed on November 3, 2024, the party urged the Union government to withdraw the proposed atomic mineral mining project in Kanyakumari, describing it as environmentally destructive and harmful to the people of southern Tamil Nadu.
Environmental organisation Poovulagin Nanbargal condemned the state government's latest order, arguing that extending the reservation keeps the project alive by allowing IREL to continue pursuing the pending statutory clearances.
Reacting to the government’s decision, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said it was unacceptable that the TVK government had issued the order extending the land reservation for the project on the very day the earlier reservation was due to expire.
Calling it a “double standard”, she said the decision would be a “betrayal” of the southern districts' people.
