In Public Interest: Mining Mafia is killing activists and government employees

Tamil Nadu is facing a deepening environmental crisis — from shrinking water bodies and worsening air quality to unchecked mining, which impacts heavily on climate change, livelihoods and public health.

As the state heads towards the 2026 Assembly elections, questions are being raised about what governments and political parties must commit to in order to protect natural resources.

In this week's In Public Interest, Shabbir Ahmed speaks to environmentalist Sundarrajan, who heads Poovulagin Nanbargal, an organisation that has released a detailed environmental manifesto for the 2026 polls, to discuss what a people-centric environmental agenda should look like in Tamil Nadu.