News Brief
Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana (@iAbhinayD/twitter)
A one-day seminar on 'Radiation and Environment' was organised on Monday (15 March) by the Indian Nuclear Society at the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) office in Hyderabad.
During a media interaction after the event, AMD Director Dr DK Sinha said that due to opposition from the state government, it has suspended plans of taking up survey and drilling of boreholes to estimate the uranium deposits in Amrabad Tiger Reserve for the time being.
He termed the suspension of the project as 'Telangana's loss'. Sinha said there is no hurry for it as many other mining-friendly states are welcoming them like Rajasthan and Jharkhand where AMD is taking up similar projects, reports The New Indian Express.
Sinha pointed out that books containing unscientific and false information regarding uranium exploration were circulated among the public, creating fear among them against the proposed uranium exploration project in the tiger reserve.
He also stressed the need to educate the public that uranium exploration requiring drilling of boreholes as narrow as 52 mm is a usual and safe procedure.
“The interest in such projects lies in the fact that exploration for uranium also throws up information regarding availability of other valuable minerals, like how gold and chromium were revealed during uranium exploration in Jharkhand,” he added.
In 2019, serious differences emerged between the Centre and Telangana government over uranium explorations in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, spread across Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts in the southern part of the state.
The state forest department had said it will not allow any exploration in the area. The state opined that the transportations of drilling equipment, movement of vehicles and man force would lead to loss of biodiversity and contamination of the soil and air in the reserve.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest