Tiger Rules Allow Diamond Mining to Resume
January 28, 25
(IDEX Online) - India's only mechanized diamond mine is to resume mining, after overcoming environmental concerns from a neighboring tiger reserve.
The state-run National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), India's biggest iron ore merchant miner, hopes to produce 6,500 carats, valued at $3.4m, this financial year.
The Panna Diamond Mining Project, 15km from Panna, started commercial production in 1971 and was operated until 2017 by Rio Tinto.
Work has been halted several times at the mine. In December 2020 environmental clearances lapsed after concerns were raised by the nearby Panna Tiger Reserve.
There are over 1,000 licensed artisanal mines in the country, but only the Panna project, at Majhgawan in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, is mechanized.
India's Supreme Court has allowed NMDC permission to resume mining, provided it adheres to specific guidelines relating to tigers and the environment.
It must minimize stress conditions for tigers, avoid man-animal conflict and use camera traps and other modern equipment to monitor tiger movement.
It is also required to by build a 10ft high compound walls "to avoid untoward incidents of human wildlife interface".
And it must deposit $37,000 with the Madhya Pradesh Tiger Foundation Society before it starts mining.
"We will start ore mining from the mines in two-three months, and in the meantime diamonds are processed through feeding of old stockpiles," the company told Reuters.
Pic shows Panna Tiger Reserve.