A chopper hovering at a low altitude, with long cables and large spider-web-like gadgets has evoked curiosity among the people near the Alamatti dam area and Bagalkot district. The question in their minds: are there valuable deposits of uranium, thorium and osmium in these parts?
This has cropped up following the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, launching operations using high-tech equipment and aerial surveys to find out where the deposits lie. The project has been taken up by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, under the Department of Atomic Energy.
Sources said it was this department that located the presence of uranium in Gogi village of Kalaburagi district.
Officials and experts of the department are conducting aerial surveys on the eastern side of the Krishna, Badami town and Kaladagi village of Bagalkot district.
Experts, who did not wish to be identified, said they are using high-tech remote-sensing devices attached to the chopper to help locate the presence of minerals from a depth of around 20 metres beneath the surface.
The officials said that according to the preliminary report, areas near the Alamatti dam, Bagalkot and Belagavi districts have considerable deposits of uranium, and the aerial survey was launched for confirmation.
“We will conduct the investigation using ultra-modern gadgets. If required, the surface will be drilled to collect soil samples for testing. The collected information will be compiled and digitised before submitting the final report to the Union government,” officials said. They said these precious minerals are needed by the Defence Ministry for developing defence equipment.
The experts said the survey would be for four months, using various devises to assess the accuracy and quantum of minerals in specific areas.
“This is just a survey for finding minerals, there is nothing for people to fear,” officials added.
