Farmers protest against graphite extraction project in Sivaganga

Members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association staged a protest near Sivaganga opposing the private extraction of graphite.

Protesters said, in November 2023, a contract was awarded to a private entity to extract graphite minerals in Iluppakudi area near Sivaganga.

For this purpose, it is reported that 633.5 hectares of land in areas including Kumarapatti, Arasanur, and Iluppakudi are to be acquired. The local people expressing strong opposition to the project, on December 29, held a demonstration at Iluppakudi.

Following this, they also made an appeal to the District Collector K. Porkodi.

State General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, Sami Natarajan, said: “Already, 500 acres of land were acquired in the Iluppakudi area for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Similarly, 775 acres of land were acquired for the Arasanur SIPCOT. Now, they are about to hand over more than 1,500 acres of land to a private entity for graphite extraction.”

Due to this, four irrigation tanks and more than 200 pump-set wells would be affected in the Iluppakudi area alone.

“Through this, many thousands of acres of farmland would turn into wasteland. The entire area depends on agriculture. Therefore, the governments should withdraw the decision to mine graphite,” he said.

Sivaganga AIADMK MLA P. R. Senthilnathan extending his support to the protest said: “Even the work of surveying the land should not be permitted. We are ready to fight regardless of how many cases are registered against us because of this.”

“I will raise my voice in the Legislative Assembly along with General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami. If there was still no action after that, we would file a case in court and stop the graphite extraction project, just like in Arittapatti”, he noted.