North East News Agency

The Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) has found uranium oxide reserve, estimated to be about 9,500 tonnes in about 9.22 million tonnes of ore, in Meghalaya. This was states in, the Meghalaya Assembly recently.

This ‘significant’ reserve with an average grade of 0.104 per cent of uranium oxide (0308) was found over an area of two sq km as per the report furnished to the State Government by the AMD, Mining and Geology Minister Prestone Tyngsong said, replying to a zero hour notice by P T Sawkmie of Meghalaya Democratic Party.

The AMD, under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), was engaged in survey, exploraion and evaluation of atomic minerals including uranium in the state. “It has located a significant uranium occurrence in Domiasiat area in West Khasi Hills district,” Tyngsong said.

Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), a public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the DAE, was established as an agency to mine and process uranium ore in the country. The UCIL had approached Meghalaya Government about a decade ago  and a series of “preliminary discussions” were held but “no decision was taken by the government till date”.

He said the UCIL had submitted a formal application for uranium mining to the West Khasi Hills district deputy commissioner on October 15, 2001 – which was “still under scrutiny”. The latter had asked the corporation to submit “consent of land owners and surveyed maps”. But till date, UCIL was yet to reach the State Government with the documents.

“After the application has been received (from UCIL), it will be then decided by the State Government whether to allow or disallow uranium mining in the State after examining all pros and cons,” Tyngsong said.

The Minister said the matter was examined by a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on January 15, 2004. As per its decision, a team comprising Ministers, senior officers and NGOs from Meghalaya visited the UCIL’s uranium mining project at Jaduguda in Jharkhand during March 8-10, 2004.

After the team’s tour, no report was received on serious mine accidents; the health condition of mine workers, school children and people around the mines appeared to be ‘normal’ and no case of ailment or physical deformity due to radiation could be confirmed, the minister said.

Referring to Meghalaya, Tyngsong said a report from Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai was also sought regarding radiological impact of the proposed uranium mining operation in Domiasiat area to ensure that the health and safety of the people living in the area were not affected, he said.

BARC report indicated that “At the estimated dose of 0.02 milli-sievert per year in public domain in  immediate vicinity attributable to the mining operations, no undesirable health impact is expected”.

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