UP govt auctions 13 major mineralblocks to pvt firms | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh govt has auctioned 13 major mineral blocks across state to private players.Spread over the Vindhyachal and Bundelkhand regions, the exploration of minerals such as phosphorite, iron ore, gold, and glauconite will commence in Lalitpur and Sonbhadra in a few months, said officials. Since January 2023, the state has been trying to put up blocks of major minerals. While eight licences have been granted to companies interested in exploring the rocky terrain of Lalitpur, the other five will dig up rocky formations in the Sonbhadra region. Considered highly valuable because of their utility, the detection of major minerals could significantly enrich the state’s coffers. The mining department has been experiencing continuous growth over the past five years. “For the present financial year, we are targeting to generate an amount in the range of Rs 5,500 crore to Rs 6,000 crore as annual revenue. The auction of major minerals will help us raise the bar further,” said a senior officer from the department. Used extensively for manufacturing fertilisers, the presence of high-grade phosphorite within the Sonrai phosphorite block in the Mehrauni sub-division of Lalitpur attracted several companies to the table. In fact, the final geological report confirming the presence of 3.43 tonnes in the block has already been secured. Spread over about 190 hectares, the specific basin of the Vindhya range is touted to be extremely rich in P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide). Only Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are the other two states where phosphorite is excavated. In Lalitpur, seven out of the eight blocks contain phosphorite, and one is going to be explored for iron ore. In Sonbhadra, iron ore, gold, and glauconite have been discovered by geologists carrying out field surveys.
