Meghalaya has 23,268 tons of uranium deposits of which the maximum is in the Domiasiat area of South West Khasi Hills.
This was informed by Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred query raised by BJP MP from Rajasthan, Rahul Kaswan in the Lok Sabha today regarding uranium deposits in Sikar, Rajasthan.
According to the statistics provided by Dr. Singh regarding uranium deposits across the country, the Kylleng – Pyndengsohiong – Mawthabah area in Domiasiat has 9,500 tons of uranium deposits. He also said that the government had planned to mine the uranium at this site.
Another area where huge deposit of uranium was found was Wahkyn – Wahkut where the deposit is 9,764 tons. Singh also said that exploratory mining is being planned in this area.
Four areas have small deposits of uranium. They include Gomaghat – Phlangdiloin (1,000 tons), Umthongkut (1,535 tons), Tyrnai (600 tons) and Lostoin (869 tons).
Singh also said that the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has established a total of 3,82,675 tonne (t) in situ U3O8 in 47 uranium deposits in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
“The reports of uranium deposits established by AMD are handed over to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a Public Sector Undertaking of DAE for mining. Mining technology and economics are important criteria which decide the exploitation and extraction status of a deposit like other mineral deposits,” he said.
It may be mentioned that in August, 2016, the Meghalaya government revoked its earlier decision that granted permission to the UCIL to conduct uranium exploratory activities in the State.
