Panel recommends 'in-principle' approval for Uranium

A panel under the Ministry of Forest and Environment has recommended for "in-principle" permission for exploration of Uranium in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change made the recommendation at its meeting on May 22.

The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) had earlier sought the permission from the Ministry of Forest to carry out survey and drilling of boreholes around Amrabad-Udimalla (Mahaboobnagar district)-Narayanpur (Nalgonda district), with the aim to establish Uranium deposits.

"The FAC under the Ministry of Forest observed that there are certain deficiencies in the proposal.

However, considering the fact that the proposal is of critical importance from national perspective, it recommended for in-principle approval subject to submission of all required document/information in due format.

After receipt of the same, the complete proposal may be placed before the Competent Authority for approval," the FAC said in the minutes of meeting.

In his reaction to the panel's recommendation, Telangana principal chief conservator of forests, PK Jha said, the committee has given only "in principle" permission to AMD while "full and necessary permissions" are required for the departmentto allow exploration in the Tiger Reserve.

"We will not allow any exploration activities (in the reserve forest) without full permissions," he told PTI Tuesday.

In its proposal, the AMD had said, review of all the areas of ongoing investigations and their assessment indicates that northern part of Cuddapah basin is the most promising and potential area in the country for locating high grade, large tonnage uranium deposits.

"The proposed forest land is one of the prime target for exploration of unconformity related U-deposits in India," the Atomic body said in its proposal to the ministry.

In India, uranium deposit discovered till now was either of low grade or of low tonnage or of both low grade and low tonnage, it said.

Keeping in view the huge amount of electricity to be produced through the nuclear route, economically feasible high grade deposits are to be found out expeditiously, it added.