PTI

Kolkata: Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) said it will invest around Rs1,000 crore in development of Meghalaya uranium mines and processing plant and was hopeful to get consensus and clearance from the government soon.

UCIL sources said the company has begun preparatory work like roads for the project but was waiting for government approvals to begin operation.

“UCIL is ready with an investment plan of up to Rs1,000 crore in Meghalaya, where a 2,200-tpd plant has been proposed. The Detailed Project Report is ready,” a senior company official said.

In the north-east State, about 10,000 tonnes of uranium ore deposits have been established by the Atomic Minerals Division (AMD), way back in 1992.

Beside, North East, Karnataka and Rajasthan and expansion in Andhra Pradesh are on the immediate radar of the UCIL, which hopes to take up mining for uranium resources estimated to be around 1.2 lakh tonne from about 65,000 tonne now.

However, UCIL was facing protests from political parties and NGOs.

The state emphasised the need for evolving a consensus among all stakeholders, including political parties on the issue of uranium mining in the state, which is crucial to country’s nuclear power programme, in the face of environmental and health concerns on radiation.