Chandrapur can be 1st Maha dist to have copper mines

Chandrapur: Having earned the distinction as back gold district for high deposits of coal, Chandrapur is now looking towards copper revolution.
Primary explorations have revealed vast deposits of copper ore in the district. Chandrapur would be the first in the state to have copper mines, if its mining project goes ahead.
Sources in the mining department here informed that the administration has been exploring the potential of copper mining in the district since quite some time. Large deposits of copper ore have been found at Thanewasana (Pombhurna taluka), Dubarpeth (Gondpipri taluka), Lavari and Adegaon-Motegaon (Chimur taluka) in the district.
Primary exploration of the copper deposits at Thanewasana and Dubarpeth with the help of directorate geology and mining (DG&M) and Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been completed, while the exploration of Lavari and Adegaon-Motegaon blocks is underway.
The administration has prepared and forwarded its preliminary report detailing the potential of copper mining at Thanewasana and Dubarpeth to the government. Based on the report, multinational mining major Vedanta Limited has acquired both these blocks.
Sources informed that the government of Maharashtra had earlier invited bids for grant of two copper composite licenses (prospecting licence cum mining lease) in February, 2019. According to Tamra, a web portal of the Union ministry of mines, Dubarpeth and Thanewasana copper blocks having estimated size of 816.29 hectares and 768.62 hectares have been allocated to Vedanta Limited through e-auction later in the same year. The tender document suggests that while the Dubarpeth mine has a deposit of 1.343 million tonnes, Thanewasana block has 8.02 million tonnes of copper reserves. Both the blocks have been allocated to the company for 50 years.
District mining officer Suresh Naitam ratified the allocation of two copper blocks to Vedanta Limited. He claimed the company is further exploring both the blocks and would go ahead with mining after ascertaining commercial viability. It will, however, take 5-6 years to start mining, if the company goes ahead with the project, he said.
“Chandrapur district is rich in mineral resources. State government through our department is carrying out extensive research to trace and explore the deposits of different minerals for commercial utilization,” said Naitam.
President of Chandrapur MIDC Industries Association Madhusudan Roongta welcomed the steps taken by the government towards initiating copper mining in the district. “Chandrapur has the highest revenue generation in the state in terms of major minerals. District alone provides revenue worth over Rs6,000 crore to the state government through royalty, GST and cess against the excavated minerals and products like cement made from it,” he said.
Roongta claimed copper mining would revolutionise the industrialisation in Chandrapur. With large-scale consumers Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the neighbourhood, there is big potential for copper mining and smelting. “Vedanta group is exploring copper in Chandrapur and it could bring investment to the tune of Rs20,000 crore in the district. Copper excavation will further attract hundreds of ancillary industries in Chandrapur, which will further add to the revenue and employment generation,” he emphasized.