SCCL secures Karnataka licence for gold, copper exploration

Telangana's state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has entered the strategic minerals sector, securing a licence to explore gold and copper in Karnataka's Devadurga region. Chairman and managing director Dr Buddha Prakash Jyoti announced the development at the company's Independence Day celebrations in Kothagudem on Saturday. Exploration activities will begin soon, he said, marking SCCL's first foray into metals beyond coal.

The company also secured a mining lease for the Tadicherla-2 coal block, which holds an estimated 340 million tonnes of coal and is expected to be mined over 40 years. It won the bid for the PK OC-2 dip-side block, adding 120 million tonnes of coal reserves. Dr Jyoti added that preparations are under way to extract rare earth elements from SCCL's open-cast mines. Meanwhile, a cath lab was set up at Ramagundam Area Hospital to improve cardiac care for workers.