State renews UCIL lease for mining in Jadugora

Jamshedpur: The impasse over the resumption of mining activity in Jadugora mines of the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) is likely to end soon as the East Singhbhum administration has given the requisite clearance for mining work following the state government’s in-principle nod to the corporation for resuming mining earlier in October.
Confirming the development, UCIL authorities said the uranium enrichment exercise at the mine will commence in a few days as soon as the documents pertaining to the district administration’s approval for resumption of the work arrives at the company office in Jadugora.
“The process (of papers reaching the UCIL office) is underway and we are quite hopeful that uranium production shall commence in a few days from now,” said Pinaki Roy, spokesperson for UCIL, which is a public sector enterprise under the central department of atomic energy.
In the wake of approval for resuming the work, UCIL authorities have began recalling the employees to Jadugora mine, who were earlier shifted to other company mines following its closure on September 6 this year.
“Following the closure of Jadugora mine, we had to adjust nearly 700 employees of the mine to two other mines, namely Bagjata and Narwapahar, and at Jadugora mill on temporary basis,” said a senior administrative official in UCIL.
The company official also confirmed that UCIL’s uranium production was grossly hit in the last 100 days owing to suspension of mining activity in Jadugora.
“Jadugora being our rich mine, nearly 40% of the uranium production has come down on an average per day in the last 100 days, after mining was stopped at Jadugora following a directive from the government,” said the official.
The company added that the spiralling effect of the closure of Jadugora mine was that the cost of uranium production increased by more than 15% owing to long-distance transportation of the chemical element from six other mines spread across East Singhbhum and adjoining Seraikela-Kharswan districts.
The second lease of the UCIL was cleared by the state government in the first week of October this year. But owing to technical shortcomings, the lease deed couldn’t be ratified till December 5.
However, the district administration finally gave its nod earlier this month following a satisfactory response of the company on environment and forest issues, said the UCIL authorities.
UCIL mining at Jadugora was stopped by the state government following a directive from the Union ministry of mines and geology asking for suspension of all mining activities of corporate entities being carried out under deemed extension earlier this year.