By Prasanta Kumar Dash
Bhubaneswar, Oct 15: Apart from chromite to dolomite- power-grade coal to brighter quartz-Odisha has been a treasure trove of mines and minerals from the ancient times.
High-capacity coal mines scattered in and around Talcher in Odisha’ Angul district, Hirakud & Burla area in Sambalpur, Joda & Barbil area in Keonjhar with Belpahar and Brajrajnagar in Jharsuguda, have made the state a hub of industries and thermal power.
Besides the treasuries of wealth, Odisha is now emerging as a new destination for the gold miners as a slew of feasible gold mines are going to be explored soon.
Following the G-1 and G-2 suveys of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) conducted at different points in as many as 18 districts across the state, accredited gold miners who are said to be national players in exploration of gold and production of the precious yellow metal from underground mine, are ready to strike their deals with the government.
Odisha’s potential gold mines came to fore when the Minister for Mines mentioned that the government is all set to auction some significant gold repositories, existing in the Deogarh and Keonjhar districts.
The survey conducted yesterday by the GSI technical team in Keonjhar district especially in the Sunakhani and Jaladiha forests has cleared that the exploration of the gold mines are at an arms lengh.
The first survey for gold deposits was carried out in the eighties. Then labourers were engaged to collect samples to ascertain the percentage and purity of gold in the raw gangue minerals, sent for sampling.
As per the information shared by the Minister of Steel and Mines in the Odisha Assembly, the evidence of the presence of gold was found during the G-4 Survey carried out at Saleikena, Mankadchua and Dimirimunda in Keonjhar by the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). Similarly, a G-1 survey to find evidence of gold deposits was carried out in the Sunakhani jungle two years ago.
An earlier survey by the directorate of mines and geology had also found gold reserves in Gopur, Gajipur, Kusakala, Adal and Saleikana, Dimirimunda and Karadanga areas in the Keonjhar district. The ground surveys by the geoscientists were intensified when the geologists had detected one gram of gold per tonne ore in two quartz veins in the Telkoi tehsil area during a survey, conducted in 1989-96.
The recent suvey in the Keonjhar forest has been more frantic and organized as the survey team found substantial quantity of gold in the raw form collected after excavation.
Earlier, the Directorate of Mines and Geological Survey of India (GSI) had revealed the presence of gold reserves in the Deogarh and Mayurbhanj districts. As per the statement laid in the Odisha Assembly, the gold deposits had been found in the Adas-Rampalli forests of Deogarh, seven places each in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts.
An estimated so far at least 1,685 kg of gold ore has been detected by the GSI experts along with copper in the Adas area. According to preliminary estimation, the team had detected 2.5 gm to 10 gm of gold per one-tonne ore in a quartz vein of 60 metre long and one metre wide in the Gopur area.
Apart from the scientific survey conducted by the government agencies, traditional practices of the Jhara or Jharia community, residing by the Mahanadi system, prevalently inhabiting in Sambalpur, Boudh and Angul district, are yet extracting particles of gold from the naturally grinded-dust of the black sand.They traditionally harvest gold particles from separating sand with decanting it with winnowing baskets(Kula).
If the ancient practice and trade adopted by the Jharia Tribe, for earning their bread even now, is taken into account, there might be some unexplored mines yet somewhere on the miles away- extended bank of the River Mahanadi. It probably adds to the gold potentials of the state which the mother earth has already treasured in the Odisha mines, about to be unearthed soon.
The Kolar, Hutti, Ganajur gold mines in Karnataka, Jonagiri and Ramgiri gold mines in Andhra Pradesh, Sonabhadra gold mine in Uttar Pradesh and the Lava gold mines in Jharkhand have contributed a lot to the gold demand of the nation with attracting fabulous exchequer including forex for the states. Once the feasible gold mines spotted in Odisha yet, are well explored with advancements in technology and investment, Odisha could become a significant player in India’s gold mining landscape and a promising future for the gold-making miners.
