How tigers might stop MP from becoming a global diamond mining source

Global mining mega corp Rio Tinto is ready to add India to its worldwide inventory of diamond mines. It already has operations in a number of countries including Australia, Zimbabwe and Canada.

TheBusiness Standard reportsthat once mining begins in the company's Bunder deposits, located in Madhya Pradesh' Bundelkhand district, the output would propel the state into the top-10 diamond producing regions of the world.

[caption id="attachment_840005" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. Reuters[/caption]

But there is an asterisk to that comment. Though Rio Tinto may have completed all the formalities with respect to thereconnaissance and prospecting stages, it still needs to win the trust of environmentalists in the region who claim the project could threaten a tiger corridor about 100 km away.

The company needs to convert the state-awarded letter of intent into a formal mining lease by getting clearances from environmental and forest authorities.

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Rio Tinto India Managing DirectorNik Senapat is quoted as saying,"We hope to get the conditions soon and start construction activities in 2017. The first batch of diamonds will be produced in 2019."

If cleared, the mine will be one ofonly four new diamond mines globally likely to become functional in the next 10 years, Bruce Cox, the company's MD said in an interview.

The mine's yield is likely to contain about 27.4 million carats of diamonds and has a life of 25 years.

Read the entireBusiness Standardarticle here.