Gold reserves estimated at more than 2,900 tonnes have been found to be deposited in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh with the state government now bracing up for auctioning the mines for extraction of the precious metal.

According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and UP geology and mining directorate reports, gold reserves totalling almost 2,944 tonnes have been found in the Sona Pahadi and Hardi blocks of the backward Sonbhadra district in the state.

“A team of our officials and scientists is currently camping in the district to submit a report in this regard,” UP geology and mining joint director Jai Prakash told Business Standard today adding a detailed report was expected by Monday.

On the question of auctioning of these mines for commercial extraction by the state government, he informed there were many formalities, which would precede prospective mining process, including clearances by different state and central government departments, including forest, environment etc.

The geology and mining department is also in the process of geo-tagging of the areas spread across villages identified for prospective mining of gold and other minerals in Sonbhadra.

Since, India is estimated to have gold reserves of less than 700 tonnes, the projected gold reserves in Sonbhadra is more than four times of that quantity.

Earlier, GSI additional director general (ADG) Som Nath Chandel had said UP contained ‘good’ quantities of deposits of gold, diamond and other precious metals and stones in the Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions.

“From our geological studies, we can say that UP contains gold deposits in Sonbhandra district, while ample copper reserves have been estimated in the Bundelkhand region. However, there is need for more and in depth scientific studies in this regard,” he had said.

He had claimed UP was expected to have diamond reserves as well, which had not yet been explored beyond the 150 year old geological records of the British period, when the area was first mapped for the precious metals and stones.

In fact, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) had earlier planned to explore the sub-Himalayan region of UP for oil and natural gas and they were even given prospecting licenses by the state government.

Meanwhile, the state is estimated to have reserves of another precious metal platinum, which the GSI noted requires deeper drilling.