Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary locks up Gold mining prospects

SPECIAL REPORT

Sudden declaration of wildlife sanctuary locks

up mineral deposits worth Rs 10,000 crore

* The case highlights how different Government departments work in isolation

By Kartik Lokhande

Passion at the cost of rationality, and working in isolation both harm the larger public interest if these things are related to the Government departments. In one such case, sudden declaration of Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary in Nagpur district has locked up exploration of mineral wealth worth a whopping Rs 10,000 crore!
On June 26, 2012, Maharashtra Government published a gazette notification vide which parts of Nagpur and Bhandara districts were clubbed to form new Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary. As per the Forest Department notification, it broadly comprises Kitadi (Rithi), Ranbodi, Wanoda, Nawagaon villages of Nagpur district and Parsodi, Khapri, Jogikheda (Rithi), Chichgaon (Rithi) villages in Bhandara district.
The total area of this wildlife sanctuary is 1,277.292 hectares or 127.7292 square kilometres, as per the notification. Apart from the villages in the core area, there are several other villages marking the boundary of the sanctuary. These villages include Marupar, Pullar, Kolari, Pimpalgaon, Ranmangli, Tas, Tukumbori, Parsodi (Gaidongri), Khapri, Pahungaon etc. Though it is welcome for Vidarbha region to get a new wildlife sanctuary, issuance of notification without consulting other departments has resulted in halting of the work of exploration of precious minerals including gold and strategic mineral like tungsten from the area.

Published in The Hitavada CityLine on 10-12-13

As per the documents in possession of ‘The Hitavada’, sudden declaration of the wildlife sanctuary has locked up mineral wealth worth Rs 10,000 crore. A Government agency -- Geological Survey of India (GSI) -- has been conducting various geophysical surveys, mapping, investigation, exploration activities for various minerals in the belt, most of which is now in sanctuary area. According to available records, GSI has been conducting these activities in the belt since 1974-75 till 2003-04 in various areas namely Ranmangli, Kolari, Bhiwapur, Khapri, Paoni, Tas, Pular, Veltur, Jogikheda, Pahungaon, Tukumbori, Chicholi, Nimgaon, Adyal, Tambekhani etc.
Apart from this, in the recent past, Maharashtra Directorate of Geology and Mining had granted a Prospecting Licence (PL) to a company to carry out exploration for Zinc, Tungsten, Gold, Copper etc. During the Reconnaisance Permit (RP) granted to it by Maharashtra Government, the company had identified/discovered new areas of anomalous Gold, Zinc, Copper, and Tungsten besides finding extensions of known mineralised zones explored by GSI and Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL).
When the company was asked to conduct exploration work by Directorate of Geology and Mining, it had applied to the office of Deputy Conservator of Forest (Nagpur) seeking forest permission. The said office had granted the permission on November 18, 2011, stating that the permission would be valid for a period of one year -- that is, till November 17, 2012. However, before expiry of the said period, Forest Department notified Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary, bringing to halt the activities for prospecting of precious minerals like Gold, Copper, Silver, Nickel, Tungsten, Antimony, Lead, Zinc, Bismuth, Arsenic, Cobalt, Molybdenum, and Platinum over an area of 10 square kms in Kolari block in Bhiwapur tehsil of Nagpur district.
Asked about the matter, Director (Geology and Mining) V S Sawakhande said, “Forest Department did not consult us before declaring the sanctuary. There must be some mechanism for better co-ordination so that no one suffers.” He confirmed that there were deposits of precious minerals in the Kolari and other areas.
Directorate of Geology and Mining has written to the Government seeking exemption of Kolari PL area from Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary in November 2012. However, Principal Secretary (Industries) Apurva Chandra pleaded ignorance about the entire issue.

Prospect-wise resources, their estimated value 

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Prospect                       Resource                                 Value 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Kolari                           8.2 million tonnes         1,114 Million USD

                                     of Zinc ore, and

                                     1.36 million tonnes

                                     of Tungsten ore

Pular                            1.4 mn tonnes of              388 Million USD

                                     ore with Copper,

                                     Gold, and Silver

Ranmangli                   1.37 mn tonnes of            151 Million USD

                                    ore with Copper

Tutanbori                    2.75 mn tonnes of             309 Million USD

                                    ore with Copper

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total                                                                   1,962 Million USD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(As in November 2013)

Gold, Tungsten in Kolari prospect

The sudden declaration of wildlife sanctuary has also halted follow-up activities on presence of Gold and Tungsten, a strategic mineral, found in Kolari prospect and nearby areas that are a part of Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary now.

Geological Survey of India (GSI), apart from previous works, had prepared a report dating back to the year 2006 on ‘exploration for Gold’ in Kolari prospect. In the report, GSI had observed, “Mineralisation in the veins comprises native Gold besides Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite, and Pyrite.”

Apart from this, the website of Directorate of Geology and Mining also mentions, “The investigation for Gold has been carried out in the State by Geological Survey of India. Detailed investigation carried out by GSI in the Parsodi (West Block) of Nagpur district, has indicated good potential which is subject to further detailed exploration.”

Besides, it is known to many elders for a long time that Kitari people had been recovering Gold at downstream using conventional method of panning. An official put the estimated recovery of Gold by these people to 2.5 kgs per year! Considering that there is huge demand for Gold in India, and that the gold mines in Karnataka have been either closed down or struggling to increase capacity, discovery of another reserve in Nagpur district may add a new angle to the country’s penchant for the precious yellow metal. However, it would require detailed exploration and techno-economic feasibility activities to be conducted in the area that is a part of wildlife sanctuary now. 

The entrance to Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary.

Similar is the case with Tungsten, a strategic mineral. According to Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) records, as on April 1, 2005, only Nagpur district in Maharashtra had Tungsten reserves. IBM had pegged the reserves at 80,77,250 tonnes of ore and 16,035 tonnes of metal. This is the highest after reserves reported in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

Tungsten has a melting point of 3,350 degrees Celsius, the highest of all metals and it is resistant to all acids at ordinary temperatures. It is elastic, ductile and has high tensile strength and can be drawn into very thin wires. It is also used in armour plate and armour-piercing ordnance. Tungsten compounds are used in dyes and pigments, manufacture of paints and printing ink and also in ceramic industry for producing yellow tint. Other alloys bearing tungsten are used for ornaments, heat sinks, radiation shielding, weights and counter-weights, wear resistant parts and coatings. As the domestic requirements of Tungsten and its products are met mainly through imports, it is necessary for the country to explore reserves within India. However, despite detection of its presence in Nagpur district, this mineral also is locked up in wildlife sanctuary area.

Declaration of sanctuary delays irrigation project work too

Sudden declaration of Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary has not affected mining work alone. It has affected a small work of a irrigation project also. This shows that Forest Department did not consult Water Resources Department (WRD) also.

According to Command Area Development Authority (CADA) sources, inlet of Ranbodi nullah was proposed to be diverted to 48-year-old Satighat minor irrigation project to increase storage of the latter. The proposal was submitted to the State Government on April 4, 2012. By the time the administrative approval was received on August 6, 2012; Forest Department had notified Umred-Karhandla wildlife sanctuary on June 29, 2012. As a result, despite receiving administrative approval, the work could not be started. 

Entrance to Ranbodi village.

The area near Ranbodi nullah curve has been included in the new wildlife sanctuary. At present, the work has to be undertaken only after obtaining necessary permission from National Board of Wildlife and the Supreme Court, said CADA source. Accordingly, the process has been started. However, an official with the WRD said, the delay in starting minor work might increase cost from existing Rs 57.42 lakh. Superintending Engineer and Administrator of CADA had sought Rs 50 lakh from the Government for the work, and the Government made a token provision of Rs 1,000 from Contingency Fund advance in the State Budget for the year 2013-14.

No need to consult other deptts: PCCF

When his comment was sought on the issue, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Sarjan Bhagat told ‘The Hitavada’ that there was no need to consult other departments while declaring wildlife sanctuary.

“If they (other departments) have conducted study and if it was so important for them, they should have shared the outcome of the study with us,” said Bhagat, who is PCCF (Wildlife). According to him, none of the departments involved shared the information with his office. At least, he said, such a thing had not been brought to his notice so far.

On locking up of the mineral wealth estimated to be worth over Rs 10,000 crore, Bhagat said that if the departments concerned still wanted to go ahead with the work they should submit an application seeking permission from the Forest Department. “The State-level Technical Committee will examine the proposal and take appropriate decision,” he added. Once wildlife sanctuary or protected area was notified, the rules and laws governing such areas came into play and were to be followed, he said.