Investigation still being carried out: GSI

Jammu, Nov 14: Notwithstanding twice scrapping of the auction of the Lithium block in Salal-Haimna area of Reasi, the investigation process was still being carried out there.

This assertion has come from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) amid the news reports about “halting of extraction plans indefinitely.”

“There is still investigation (exploration) being carried out there. There are various stages (of exploration), I cannot comment on that but investigation is on,” said a senior officer from GSI, in reply to Greater Kashmir queries about updated status of Lithium mining in Reasi district and whether “extraction was halted indefinitely” as was being reported.

“Our paperwork has been completed. Regarding its auction, the Ministry of Mines had issued notice twice or thrice but as no bidder came forward, it (auction) was scrapped,” said an official of J&K Mining Department, preferring anonymity.

“See, as far as we’re concerned at the district level, we were tasked to provide details about total land status and its categories viz., forest land, revenue land, private land etc.,” the official said.

“That has been completed and entrusted also to the concerned. Rest everything is in the hands of the Ministry of Mines. Even exploration has been done by them. The Ministry put the block to auction twice in February-March and later in July. But it was scrapped. We don’t have any inputs about the exact reasons. We too had seen reports mentioning some quality or quantity issue. But we cannot comment on them or say anything with certainty as we are not privy to the exploration process,” he added.

Another official, who was associated with the exploration process during the initial phase when reserves were reported, too echoed almost similar points though he stated that after initial proactive moves, things slowed down.

“Till five or six months ago, there was no significant (exploration) activity going on there. It was GSI, which was engaged in the exploration process and we were in a supporting role. Seemingly studies are still going on. It is under observation. There are four or five stages of studies (related to exploration). So they are still studying,” he added.

Notably on August 12, the Union Secretary Mining, V L Kanta Rao, in an inter-ministerial meeting, had assured that Lithium exploration work in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir would be expedited and within next few months, the results would be visible.

The Mining Secretary’s assurance was in response to the call of Union Minister of State in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh in the Inter-Ministerial meeting of National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), to expedite Lithium exploration in J&K.

A day prior to this meeting, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy had stressed the need to expedite all ongoing exploration projects in J&K besides all mineral rich states in the 6th Governing Body meeting of the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET).

On July 22, Reddy had informed the Parliament that the government would soon complete the exploration process of Lithium deposits in Jammu region and it would be followed by the auction process.

“The Government of India, in collaboration with the J&K government, has started the exploration process of the Lithium deposits, identified by Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Jammu region. The process is going apace. After the completion of the exploration process, we will immediately initiate its auction process,” Reddy had assured.

Prior to it, in July, 2024, the government had scrapped the auction of the Lithium block in Salal-Haimna area of Reasi, under the third tranche of sale on mines, due to lower (than required) number of bidders. In the case of the Lithium block in Reasi, the auction was scrapped for the second time.

In March this year, the first auction was also scrapped due to lukewarm response from the bidders.

Notably in December, 2023, the Ministry of Mines had launched a new scheme to directly sanction exploration projects to Notified Private Exploration Agencies (NPEAs) for critical and deep-seated minerals to give impetus to their (critical minerals’) exploration.

Further, the Ministry had also allowed these NPEAs to bid for auction for mineral blocks explored by them, which was not allowed earlier.

For J&K, this decision was of great significance after the Geological Survey of India (GSI), after its ‘preliminary exploration’, had confirmed an inferred resource (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes of Lithium ore in Salal-Haimna areas of Reasi district in Jammu region in 2023.

Lithium was among critical and strategic minerals, twenty blocks of which as part of the first-ever tranche auction was launched by the Ministry of Mines on November 29, 2023.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, MMDR Act was amended through the MMDR Amendment Act, 2021, with effect from March 28, 2021 which, inter alia, empowers the central government to notify entities, including private entities, that may undertake prospecting operations.