17/2/2018
PUNE: The Jammu
& Kashmir Legislative Council Chairman has informally invited Pune
companies to explore the possibility of extracting marble and limestone in
Kargil district which has vast reserves of these natural stones.
Haji Anayat Ali, who hails from Kargil district in the Ladakh
region of the border state, recently met members of the Pune-based Marble and Tile
Association and invited them to explore the possibility of mining marble and
limestone.According to official documents, the Department of Geology and Mining,
by way of geological investigations, has established presence of 102.7 million
cubic metres of granite reserves in Manjigund, Shilkchay, Channingund, Bhimbat
and Kharbu areas of Kargil district.
The department also explored and established 36.7 million tonnes
of limestone reserves at Matian Drass and Mulbuk areas of the district."A
huge deposit of good quality granite and limestone has been established in
Kargil district. However, in absence of adequate infrastructure and road
connectivity in the area, extraction of granite and limestone from these huge
reserves has become a difficult task," he told pune-news.com.
"If some big players, who have hands-on experience in
granite and limestone extraction, come to the state and do the extraction, it
would generate huge employment for the locals. This will also give a major
boost to the state's economy. Ali said he was in the city recently and met the
association members and invited them in his personal capacity to explore the
possibility of extracting granite and limestone in his home district.
"These natural resources can be the game changer for the
state if extracted properly with a proper long-term planning," the
Legislative Council Chairman added."The Government of J&K will come up
with a bidding process and auction of the blocks will take place as per the set
norms," the MLC said."In light of the availability of huge deposits
of granite, there is ample scope for setting up of a granite processing,
cutting, finishing plant in the district with the help of some professional
private players," he said.
The meeting between Ali and association members was
facilitated by a city-based organisation, Sarhad Foundation, last
month.Association President Sohan Jhuria confirmed the request made by Ali and
said they will have take follow up action on it."We have been told that
the granite deposits (in Kargil district) are of good quality. We are scheduled
to go to J&K in May for an inspection.
"We have the expertise and infrastructure needed for
extraction of such reserves and we are ready to go through the bidding process
as per the government norms," said Jhuria.He said it would be a matter of
pride if their association gets a chance to bring some constructive change in
the lives of J&K people.The association has over 180 members and currently
it is involved in mining activities in Odisha and Rajasthan.
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