Chhattisgarh to start diamond mining in three years: Chief Minister

RAIPUR - Mineral-rich Chhattisgarh is expected to start mining for diamonds in two-three years with a host of domestic and global players having prospected for this precious allotrope of carbon in seven districts, Chief Minister Raman Singh has said.

“Prospecting by certain companies for diamond exploration is in an advanced stage. These companies are now closing in on areas where sufficient evidence of diamond reserves has been found,” Singh told IANS in an interview.

“The state will start mining diamonds in two-three years.”

Some dozen domestic and global companies, including the London- and Melbourne-based Rio Tinto and Jindal Steel and Power, are already engaged in diamond prospecting in seven districts of the state, mining department sources said.

Chhattisgarh has rich deposits of 28 minerals, including diamonds.

The state government had awarded a prospecting licence to a company named B. Vijaykumar Chhattisgarh Exploration in 2000 for the area that lies close to the Orissa border, the sources said.

But the licence was cancelled in early 2001 even though the company had confirmed that the site had rich stocks of high-quality diamonds.

The chief minister also said that steps were being taken to ensure that there were no illegal mining activities at Pailikhand, another confirmed diamond-rich site in the state’s Raipur district.

“A police outpost will be set up soon with about 25-30 policemen to guard the reserves.”

Since mid-July, hundreds of people were rushing daily to a fenced portion of Pailikhand village, 150 km from here, to sieve the soil for the precious stones, after the police deployed at the site were withdrawn.

The government reportedly could not provide housing and other basic facilities to them.