By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Recent claims suggesting the presence of critical mineral deposits in Assam’s Tukreswari Hills and Sijukona Hills have been denied by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which said no economically viable reserves have been identified in the area.
In a statement dated May 26, the organisation under the Ministry of Mines explained that field work carried out in the southern Agia region between 2012 and 2014 was only an initial scientific survey on Rare Earth Elements (REE), and not evidence of any extractable mineral deposits.
The agency noted that the rare earth concentration recorded in the study was under 1000 parts per million, a level considered too low under Indian Bureau of Mines guidelines to justify further detailed exploration, leading to the decision against continuing REE studies.
It also clarified that it has not issued any communication claiming the discovery of critical minerals beneath the Tukreswari Temple or its surrounding areas.
According to GSI, the research findings are already publicly available on its official portal as well as the National Geoscience Data Repository, and it has urged media organisations to confirm details with the concerned authorities before reporting such claims.
The clarification comes after reports on May 23 had suggested the discovery of minerals such as lithium, graphite, cobalt and vanadium in the region, materials widely used in batteries, electronics, defence systems and space technology.
Those reports had triggered local interest in and around the Tukreswari Temple area, but GSI’s clarification has now ruled out any confirmed commercial mineral discovery in the region.