As per reports, the General Secretary of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) has announced a protest to be held in Melur, Madurai on 03 January against tungsten mining, demanding the cancellation of the tungsten mineral mining project. The protest will take place at 1000 hours near Melur Bus Stand.

He further stated that the land allocated for mining, Arittapatti, is a biodiversity heritage site and the project will destroy the ecosystem.