Morung Express News
August 30
DIMAPUR: Nagaland has the potential of raking in considerable returns through the mining of precious metals. According to studies carried out, Nagaland has the latencies of exploiting precious metals belonging to the Platinum Group Elements (PGE). PGE are amongst the rarest of all metals, even costlier than gold, and are widely used as a decorative metal in jewellery, but its principal uses are in industrial applications. In India, two prominent ophiolite belts (areas where PGE are believed to be found) occur: one in the Naga Hills Ophiolite Belt extending over a few hundred kilometers and the other in the Drass Ophiolite Belt situated in the Northwestern part of India.
Visiting scientist and Head of the Geochemistry Division NGRI, Hyderabad V Balaram while stating this at the inaugural function of the State Geological Programming Board held at the DGM Office Conference Hall at Dimapur today, revealed that a research project on the Naga Ophiolite Belt (NHO) was jointly carried out by the Geology Department of Nagaland University, Kohima and the Geochemistry Division of NGRI, Hyderabad. Balaram said that the venture had yielded very encouraging results and that further studies would be carried out in the near future. He said that it was necessary to strengthen geochemical laboratories in order to facilitate more exploration studies. Balaram however lamented that concerted efforts in this regard had not been made so far.
In another related development, the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), under the Central Government has, in a letter addressed to the Director of the DGM; Government of Nagaland stated that the ‘State Government may seek for assistance in terms of development of their mines and minerals based industries to IBM with proper justifications and as such sincere participation of the State Government official in various meetings/forums conducted by Ministry of Mines must be ensured for fruitful and meaningful utilization of the special Northeast fund.’
Under the Constitution of India, Nagaland enjoys a special status under Article 371A which states that the regulation and development of the land and its resources including major minerals is solely a look-out of the State government. As such, centrally implemented Acts on mining activities may not be applicable in the State of Nagaland in a strict sense, the IBM further stated. “In spite of this special status, it is however highly desirable in the interest of the nation in general and in particular for the State of Nagaland that a suitable consensus be arrived between the governments of India and that of Nagaland in terms of common interests which will ensure in the near future proper mineral conservation, scientific mining and other related topics,” the official letter from the IBM added.
