Orissa plans to rope in De Beers for diamond reserve

Orissa government is seriously contemplating engaging global diamond mining company De Beers for undertaking a detailed survey of diamond reserve in Nuapada district.

"Taking help of De Beers is being considered to locate diamond reserve in the state, particularly in tribal dominated Nuapada district in western Orissa," state Steel and Mines minister Padmanabha Behera told PTI.

The minister said the idea of inviting De Beers for a detailed and scientific survey came after the state geology directorate's preliminary survey confirmed existence of diamond in lamproite stones available in the area.

According to Director of Geology Smita Das, the researchers had recently located lamporite stones containing diamond in Kalami-Dadar area of Nuapada district.

"State's geological survey body has decided to undertake massive survey in Kalami-Dadar area, Bharuamunda, Kathibari, Santoshipada and Nangalabadi region of Nuapada district", she said at a meeting on progress made in detection of minerals across the state.

While the mining minister was in favour of asking De Beers for the survey, official sources said the global diamond mining giant had earlier undertaken certain activities in some parts of the state.

"The volume of diamonds found were very low which was then considered economically inviable for exploration," a senior official in the Steel and Mines Department said.