Business Standard, July 15, 2009
With a view to meet the future raw material requirement of the industries using non-ferrous metals, the Orissa government has decided to intensify exploration of bauxite, coal, limestone and heavy minerals in beach sand.
Since most part of the surface exposed deposits has been explored earlier, the new initiative will focus on intensive exploitation of concealed deposits. The geo-physical and geo-thermal survey will be used for this purpose, official sources said.
The issue of intensifying exploration to ensure raw-material security for the upcoming industries in the state figured in the state geological programming board meeting held recently.
It was decided that the directorate of geology under the Orissa government will take up new projects for exploration while carrying on with the projects started during the last fiscal.
The new areas where intensive exploration will be taken up include investigation of bauxite around Bhitargurha of Kalahandi district and Panchada-Baldiaparha of Koraput district, assessment of heavy minerals in beach sand in Giral south block around Puri coast and investigation of coal in IB Valley and Talcher coalfields.
Continuing with the earlier focus on the ferrous metals,, the assessment of iron ore in the northern part of Baliapal, Badamgarh Pahar and Jhirapani in Sundergarh district and around Tapodih in Keonjhar district is proposed to be taken up during this field season.
Besides, investigation of iron and manganese ore in Joda-Banspani sector in Keonjhar district and around Deoghar in Sundergarh district will also be taken up during this year.
Integrated geo-physical survey conducted to locate primary source of diamond around Kalmidadar in Nuapada district and the search for dimension stone and HMI rocks in Remuli-Champua-Phagu area of Keonjhar district.
The directorate of geology plans to take up 19 investigation projects this year compared to 17 projects last year. It has already deployed three exploration units for starting investigation of bauxite in small and medium plateaus in Kalahandi, Koraput and Raygada districts.
Similarly, two exploration units have been deployed for investigation of coal in IB valley and Talcher coal-fields and three exploration units for investigation of heavy minerals in beach sand.
“We expect aluminium industry to grow further in next 5 years and now the focus is on exploration of smaller patches of bauxite which can meet the requirement of the small and medium size industries”, a senior official associated with the process told Business Standard.
Meanwhile, the initiative for exploration of diamond from primary sources at Kalmidadar, Kathiwada areas (Sinapali block) in Nuapara district and assessment of coal in Ananta, Lingaraj, Bhubaneswari block in Talcher coalfield, started last year, will continue. Exploration for coal in Madhupur block of IB valley coal-field and assessment of heavy minerals in beach sand along Puri coast in Nabha (north east sector) and to the north-east of Chilika will also continue. The investigation of manganese and iron ore around Bamaniajore of Keonjhar district and investigation of bauxite plateaus in Dasmantapur block of Koraput district has already taken off, sources added.
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