NMDC plans to extract diamonds from mine near tiger reserve in MP

State-owned NMDC plans to extract 6,500 carats of diamonds, worth $3.4 million, this fiscal year from ores in a mine near a tiger reserve, after receiving mining clearances last year, as per sources said. The miner faced delays in securing environmental clearances and had to halt mining for over three years at the Panna mine in the central state of Madhya Pradesh due to its proximity to the tiger reserve.

The Supreme Court later permitted NMDC to mine, subject to certain guidelines, paving the way for the company to resume operations. NMDC, which has not yet started new rounds of mining, is focusing on extracting and processing diamonds from ore stockpiles at its Panna mine, the sources said.

Since resuming operations, the company has extracted diamonds worth 3,700 carats or $1.93 million from the ore, said the sources, who did not wish to named before NMDC publicly shared its diamond output data.

The mine, covering an area of 275.96 hectares (681.91 acres), first began operations in the early 1970s and is the only mechanised diamond mine in the country. Madhya Pradesh state is among the major diamond mining regions in Asia.

Join PSU Connect on WhatsApp now for quick updates! Click here

Read Also : Coal India Inter-Company Cricket Tournament 2024-25 Concludes with BCCL Emerging Victorious, WCL as Runner-Up