State to intensify iron ore exploration

To augment the availability of iron ore, particularly in the context of a number steel plants being proposed to come up in the state, the Orissa government plans to intensify exploration of iron ore at different locations of mineral rich Sundergarh and Keonjhar districts to identify new reserves.

The exploration work be taken up during the current year include the northern part of the Baliapahar iron ore deposits and Mandajorha area in Sundergarh district and outer Malangatoli area of Keonjhar district.

The directorate of geology of the Orissa government has decided to take up assessment of the iron ore lying in the northern part of Baliapahar iron ore deposit in the Sundergarh district. It will delineate the unexplored iron ore bodies in this area through survey and large scale mapping and then take up assessment of reserves through drilling.

Though this area was investigated earlier in two phases in 1971-74 and 1991-95 through mapping and core drilling, the drilling of the northern part was not complete. It has also been decided to go for preliminary appraisal of the iron ore occurrences to the west of Malangtoli and north-eastern part of the Mandajorha area.

This area was identified as the unexplored block during the last field season through inventory work. It is proposed to take up investigationof the area around Malungi and Mandajoraha during the current field season.

There are plans to continue and complete the investigation programme in the un-explored blocks in the Koira sector of the Sundergarh district for iron ore reserves. Geological mapping around Lasi, Jilkura, Marchidihi is proposed to be taken up during the current field season, sources added. Similarly, the government also plans to start the investigation of the iron ore around Rakma-Marsuan in outer Malangtoli area in Keonjhar district.

Geological mapping and sampling will be taken up to locate iron ore bodies in this area which was prospected by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the 1960s. Since the area is located in the vicinity of Bonai-shoe iron ore synclinorium and very close to Malangtoli iron ore complex, the government feels that geological investigation will be beneficial from the point of view of exploration, sources added.