By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced in the assembly Monday that a State Mining Policy on the lines of National Mineral Policy will be announced this year.
“Taking into consideration the imperatives of scientific mining and long term mineral development, a long term strategy needs to be evolved for the extraction and integrated management of mineral wealth in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“Keeping in view the environmental concerns, full utilisation of minerals, the changing industrial needs and to meet the needs of investors, a State Mining Policy, on the lines of National Mineral Policy will be issued this year,” Stalin said.
He also said an Online Register of Mining Tenement and Mineral Inventory will be created for providing integrated data on mineral wealth and resources in the state, details of existing mining lease and other information.
As a first step, the project of Online Register of Mining Tenement and Mineral Inventory will be implemented for Salem, Villupuram, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Krishnagiri districts, he said.
According to Stalin a special economic zone (SEZ) for granite processing and allied machineries/manufacturing industries will be set up on around 379 acres at State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) Industrial Complex at Bargur.
The SEZ is expected to bring in an investment of Rs.500 crore and generate job opportunities for 4,000 people, Stalin said.