Chennai, Nov 21 (PTI) Tamil Nadu government has not granted permission for mining tungsten in the biodiversity heritage site of Arittapatti in Madurai district and it will turn down such a proposal that comes to it, state Forests Minister K Ponmudy said on Thursday.

Making the state government's stand clear on the issue, the minister said the government would not allow mining in Arittapatti, which has been notified as a Biodiversity Heritage Site.

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"The Centre has accorded permission to Hindustan Zinc Ltd for mining at the site. But we are firm on rejecting any such proposal that comes to the forest department," Ponmudy told reporters here.

Over 250 species of birds, including some rare ones: Raptor, laggar falcon, shaheen falcon and bonelli's eagle, are found in the region, he said.

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A total of 193.215 hectares of land spread across the villages of Arittapatti and Meenakshipuram in Madurai district were notified as Arittapatti Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act of 2002. This is among the 19 biodiversity heritage sites in the country.

This rocky landscape supports about 72 lakes, 200 natural springs, and three check dams. The village is also home to megalithic structures.

"The Chief Minister (M K Stalin) is keen on protecting the site," the minister said and added that the forest department has not granted permission to any company to mine in the region.

Apart from the locals, several political parties, including the PMK, CPI(M), and the AMMK have opposed mining in the region, claiming that such an activity would cause irreversible damage to the environment.

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