GSI has identified several mineral-rich blocks in Meghalaya and handed over at least 20 of them to the state govt for auctioning
SHILLONG, April 8: Confirming that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has identified several mineral-rich blocks in Meghalaya and handed over at least 20 of them to the state government for auctioning, the Director General, GSI, Asit Saha, however, clarified that lithium reserves have not been found in Meghalaya as speculated in recent reports.
“As far as this controversy regarding lithium is concerned, it is not true. Lithium is the buzz word, but we do not have lithium in Meghalaya,” Saha clarified on Monday.
He further said the GSI has been actively conducting preliminary exploration of various minerals including coal, bauxite, and limestone in the state. “We collect data in different ways — remote sensing as well as ground surveys,” Saha added
He also shed light on the long-standing issue of unscientific coal mining in Meghalaya. “Geologists are always in the field. But due to land ownership issues and lack of complete assessment and resource calculation, rat-hole mining is still practised,” he said. “This is a resource being exploited, but perhaps due to lack of adequate investment, the potential hasn’t been fully tapped. This is not unique to Meghalaya, but is seen across the Northeast — coal is not mined here the way it is in other parts of the country.”
Speaking on other minerals, Saha stated that bauxite exploration is still under way in the region and not yet ready for mining. “We cannot say you can mine bauxite here now — our exploration is still ongoing,” he added.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s potential in limestone and rare earth elements, Saha revealed, “We have given 20 blocks of limestone to the government for auctioning. We are hopeful that some of these will be auctioned soon. There are huge resources of limestone in Meghalaya, and deposits of rare earth elements in the Soong Valley.”