Srinagar, Sep 30: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has ruled out allowing the ancestrally occupied stone quarries at Saderkoot to resume operations under existing ownership claims, saying the deposits are limestone and therefore fall in the category of a major mineral whose extraction can only be undertaken through auction.
The clarification was given by the Mining Department in the Legislative Assembly in response to a question by Sonawari MLA Hilal Akbar Lone, who sought to know whether the ban on stone quarrying at Saderkoot would be lifted and, if not, the reasons for its continuation.
The department said physical verification had established that the limestone contains more than the prescribed 34 per cent minimum calcium oxide (CaO), while magnesium oxide (MgO) remained within the prescribed maximum limit of five per cent under the Indian Bureau of Mines notification of April 25, 2018.
The classification makes the mineral a major mineral, the department said, adding that its extraction therefore cannot be permitted merely on the basis of ancestral occupation and has to be carried out through the prescribed auction process.
The government said it had also constituted a departmental committee to reassess the limestone-bearing ancestral quarries, particularly their mineral or grade classification and end-use potential.
Following field inspections, the committee analysed 25 representative samples and found an average CaO content of approximately 49.34 per cent. The samples also recorded silica and magnesium oxide levels within the prescribed limits for cement-grade limestone.
According to the department, the findings establish that the limestone deposits in the Saderkote Bala area are high-grade and suitable for cement manufacturing and other industrial applications requiring high-calcium limestone. (KNS)
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