Chhattisgarh spots four new iron ore deposits

Chhattisgarh spots four new iron ore deposits

Chhattisgarh has located four new iron ore deposits with an estimated 71 million metric tonnes of finest quality reserves.

The state’s mineral department conducted a widespread survey for a year and located iron ore reserves of over 40 million metric tonnes in Iklama and Sindhari areas in Kawardha district, an official release said Monday.

‘Besides Kawardha, 15 million metric tonne iron ore reserves were located in Rowghat area in hilly Bastar district, 11 million metric tonnes in forested Aridongri region in Kanker district and about five million metric tonnes in Dantewada district’s Bailadila pockets,’ the release added.

Officials claim that Chhattisgarh’s hilly chain, beginning from Dalli Rajhara in Durg district to Bailadila, has two billion tonnes of iron ore stocks that alone account for India’s 18.55 percent of total iron ore reserves.

Chhattisgarh, ranked second in the country in mineral production, has 20 percent of India’s iron ore deposits.

The state’s Bailadila hilly region, divided into 14 deposits, is one of the world’s largest and finest quality iron ore stocks where public sector National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC) has major iron ore facilities since 1967 for large domestic supply and exports to China and Japan.

The state government signed a deal in July 2006 with the NMDC to set up a joint venture for opening up a deposit no-13 in Bailadila – with 35 million metric tones reserves.

Information from: IANS via in.news.yahoo.com

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