HYDERABAD | March 11, 2015: State-owned mining giant NMDC Limited, which has been directed by a Supreme Court panel to shut down its famous Panna diamond mines in Madhya Pradesh by June 2016 due to ecological concerns, is now gearing up to approach the apex court again to seek extension of the mining period by four years to 2020, said NMDC chairman and managing director Narendra Kothari.
This apart, to enhance its diamond mining activities, NMDC has also applied for a couple of prospecting licences in MP, he said.
"Regarding Panna, we have got instructions to submit our closure plan as we have to shut down the mines by June 2016. Initially we had permission to mine up to 2020, but then some disputes occurred. Hence, we have decided to approach the Supreme Court again seeking permission to mine there till 2020 without harming the environment. We are also getting full support from the central government as well as the MP government because almost a million carats of good quality diamonds are available there. It will be a lost opportunity if unmined," said Kothari.
He pointed out that the state-run miner has applied for certain prospecting licences in districts near Panna. "Once we get permission, we will start exploration. And once we get good results, we plan to set up fully mechanized diamond mines there. This will make sure that by the time Panna mines shut down, other mines will be ready enabling us to mine diamonds continuously. We are working on three to four licences there and once things are finalized in one year or two, we will be able to start another diamond mine that may be as good as or better than Panna," he explained.
According to the NMDC CMD, if the Supreme Court grants extension for Panna mining, the company will be able to make some money and simultaneously develop the other mine.
NMDC, which is the sole diamond miner in the country, has faced several green hurdles at its Panna mines due to the proximity of the mines to the Panna Tiger Reserve. In fact, during the last decade, its Panna mines have been closed thrice for lack of environmental clearances.
On NMDC's maiden goldmine venture in Tanzania, he said the company has recently changed its management there and is hopeful of making headway in one year's time. "We are preparing our future roadmap and going to do a detailed exploration very quickly. We want to complete exploration in the next few months and based on the exploration details, we will come up with the mine plan and also put up a small pilot plant there this year," he added.
In 2012, Tanzania had granted NMDC four mining leases at the Bulyang'Ombe gold prospect, which is spread across 38.83 sq km, for 10 years.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)