Districts in Bundelkhand and Vindhyan regions have virtually turned into a ‘mineral treasure trove for Uttar Pradesh as geologists and scientists have stumbled upon deposits of several minerals there, officials said.
These deposits included platinum, gold, diamond, andalusite, limestone, granite, barytes, phosphate, China clay and quartz, they added.
The UP Directorate of Geology and Mining and Geological Survey of India made the find on being tasked with looking for minerals in potential zones after months of exploration, they said.
An officer in Directorate of Geology and Mining said, along with gold in Hardi and Sona Pahadi areas of Sonbhadra, teams explored sillimanite in the Chippiya area, andalusite in Pulwar and Salaidih blocks, iron ore in Bharhari block and glauconite in Patwadih block, all in the same Sonbhadra district in the Vindhyan region.
During preliminary exploration, iron ore deposits were found in the Solda-Uldana area of Lalitpur district in Bundelkhand, the officer added.
Gold deposits were also found in the Berwar area of Lalitpur, the officer said, adding that large deposits of granite were explored in Jhansi and Lalitpur districts.
{{/usCountry}}Gold deposits were also found in the Berwar area of Lalitpur, the officer said, adding that large deposits of granite were explored in Jhansi and Lalitpur districts.
{{/usCountry}}Geologists found deposits of baryte, the mineral used in the manufacture of ceramic and glass, in the Mathra-Dang area of Lalitpur too, he said.
The department also explored phosphate deposits in Sonrai, Tori and Pisanri areas of Lalitpur.
The most sought after mineral platinum was found in the twin villages of Pipariya and Dangli in the hilly area of drought-prone Lalitpur district, the officer said.
The officer also said the team had found diamond reserves during an earlier exploration in the catchment area of the Baghain river in Banda district of Bundelkhand region. The area is adjacent to the diamond rich area of Panna and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Besides, quartz deposits were found in Jhansi and Mahoba districts in addition to limestone in Gurma and Pataudh villages in Sonbhadra district, he said.
The demand for quartz is increasing to cater to the requirement of ferro-silicon, silicon-manganese, silicon-chrome and silicon-refractories. These minerals are directly linked with the iron and steel industry.
Limestone deposits will give a boost to cement factories and, in turn, give a thrust to Defence Industrial Corridor coming up in Bundelkhand region, the officer said.
State government spokesperson and cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh said the mining of minerals will give a boost to revenue and industrialisation in the state.
Along with generating employment, it will also pave the way for development of backward regions, he said.