Geological Survey of India denied discovery of 3,000-tonne gold in U.P

The Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Geology and the Mining and Geological Survey of India have ended up discovering two goldmines in UP. One at Son Pahadi and the other one at Hardi village. It has been said that UP could have been possessing about 3,350 tons of gold ore. These gold reserves in UP could be more than five times the current reserves of India.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had said in a statement on 22nd February 2020, that it is not true that there has been a discovery made of gold reserves that are estimated to be 3,000 tonnes in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh (Eastern UP’s mineral-rich district) as per the claims of the district mining official.

In Son Pahadi, it has been estimated that the gold deposits are about 2,943.25 tonnes, and about 646.15 tonnes are found in the Hardi field. The current gold reserves of India stand at approximately 626 tonnes. The gold that has been found at both of these deposits may be worth around Rs 12 lakh crore.

As per the officials, a team consisting of seven members had been given the task of geo-tagging and mapping the areas of the goldmine that made a visit to Sonbhadra on 20th February 2020. The Officials have also claimed that the mines of Sonbhadra rich in minerals are relatively easier to dig given the geographical position due to the reason that these mines are located on the hillocks. According to the officials, the government may begin the auctioning process after the compensation payout and other necessary approvals have been granted.

Other than the gold deposits, the officials are also keen on exploring if there could be other unearthing rare minerals such as uranium in that area. The discovery of these two mines has been expected to give a big boost to the revenue of Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, they will be providing both skilled and unskilled labor, and could even lead to even more development of the backward regions in both of these districts.

The Geological Survey of India said in a statement, "The total gold deposits that can be extracted from the combined total resources of 52806.25 tonnes of ore is only about 160 kg and not the total 3,350 tonnes."

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UP’s geology and mining department had discovered two big blocks of gold in Sonbhadra district of UP. The total estimated gold reserves found in the SonaPahadi block is approximately 2,943 tonnes. The state mining director Roshan Jacob said in a statement.

As per the data collected by the World Gold Council (WGC), the United States has the largest reserves of gold approximately 8,133.5 tonnes, followed by Germany (3,366 tonnes) and IMF (International Monetary Fund) 2,814 tonnes. Italy with 2,451.8 tonnes and France with 2,436 tonnes also make it to the top five.

The district mining officer, Mr. KK Rai had said in a statement, “After they carry out the mapping, a report will be submitted to the directorate to take any further actions, such as the auctioning of gold blocks for mining purposes.”

It had earlier been reported that the team of GS had also discovered the presence of the ores of several other metals and minerals. These include Andalusite, aluminum nesosilicate mineral (95.02 tonnes) found in the Pulawar and Salaidih blocks, Potash (9.46 tonnes) found in the Patwadh block and iron (14.97 tonnes) found in the Bharhari block. Sillimanite, an aluminosilicate mineral (9.8 tonnes) has also been found in the Chhipiya block of this district.

The team that had been appointed by the geology and mining directorate of Uttar Pradesh for the purpose of mapping and geo-tagging had comprised of joint director Jay Prakash, Dr Vijay Kumar Maurya, KK Rai, Ram Pravesh Singh, SN Patel, Daud Ansari, and Santosh Kumar Pal. The District mining officer Mr. Rai said that the team had been continuously working since 17th February 17 and is about to finish their assigned job.

The DM S Rajalingam from Sonbhadra said that the Geological Survey of India and the directorate of geology and mining had asked for permission before conducting the survey of the area. He further said that "The team will be submitting the report to the directorate for further action."

Picture Source: DNA India

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