HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday directed officials to explore the possibility of setting up a joint venture between Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and Hutti Gold Mines, a Karnataka government undertaking with extensive experience in gold mining.
He also directed the Singareni officials to expedite mineral exploration activities at the Devadurga Gold-Copper Block in Karnataka.
On the second day of his tour of gold mines in Karnataka, Vikramarka visited the Hutti and UT gold mines in Raichur district and Devadurga block. He inspected the production unit, ore processing plant and electrowinning facility at Hutti Gold Mines. Officials explained to him the various stages through which the ore extracted from the mine is processed and converted into refined gold.
The officials informed him that the Hutti project produces an average of two to four kilograms of gold per day.
Vikramaraka suggested combining Hutti Gold Mines’s expertise with Singareni’s technical capabilities in exploration and mining of coal and other minerals. He directed Singareni officials to prepare an action plan for joint collaboration between the two organisations in areas such as gold exploration, mining, extraction, processing and refining, adoption of modern technologies, deployment of technical experts and human-resource training.
The deputy chief minister emphasised the need to reduce dependence on gold imports and increase domestic production. He said that a Hutti-Singareni partnership could contribute to increasing gold production, adopting advanced technologies, creating local employment opportunities and strengthening the country’s economic development.
Later in the day, he inspected gold ore mining operations at the UT underground mine. He enquired about various aspects of underground mining, including ore extraction and transportation, use of machinery and worker safety.
Meanwhile, during his visit to Devadurga block, Vikramarka instructed officials to accelerate exploration using advanced technological methods to assess the quantity and quality of mineral deposits in Devadurga. He also directed them to prepare plans in advance for the next phase of activities so that they can be taken up immediately once the exploration yields encouraging results.
He further directed the Singareni CMD to complete all necessary arrangements at the earliest for the early inauguration of the Singareni site office to be established at Devadurga.
