Published Date: 24-12-2005
Sitting pretty on gold and diamonds
HYDERABAD: About ten multi-national companies have been waiting for the Central Government's permission to take up mining for diamond and gold deposits at 17 places along the course of the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh for nearly two years, having been caught in bureaucratic tangle.
Based on the recommendations of the Telugu Desam government, the Centre had sanctioned 38 reconnaissance permits to these firms during 2001-2002 to explore gold and diamond deposits.
Subsequently, each firm has reportedly spent crores of rupees for taking up detailed aeromagnetic, geo-physical and surface sampling surveys in 42,500 sq km area. They identified the gold and diamond deposits at Banaganapalli, Pagadarai, Jonnagiri and Yerragudi villages in Kurnool district, Pamidi, Ramagiri, Vajrakarur and Lattavaram villages in Anantapur district, Jaggaiahpet in Krishna district and a few more places in Kadapa, Prakasam, Chittoor, Nellore, Mahboobnagar, Rangareddy and Guntur districts. Based on the survey, the firms later applied for 42 prospecting licences which are still pending with Delhi. These firms include De Beers, CRA Exploration Ltd, National Mineral Development Corporation, Geo Mysore, BHP Minerals India Ltd and its subsidiary BHP Khanija Anveshana Ltd, Philips Dodge Exploration India Ltd and Anglo American Exploration Ltd. Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Mineral Exploration Corporation of India (MECI) have also identified Dona and Mantralayam in Kurnool district for exploration for diamonds.
"We are waiting for the Centre's approval so that other clearances from departments like Revenue and Forests can be expedited," officials of the Industries Department told Express.
The State Government would get a royalty of 20 per cent from mining. The estimated gold ore reserves in Andhra Pradesh are around 6.839 million tonnes.

Diamond found in Kurnool

June 10: As rains have started, the search for diamonds began in Adoni revenue division. People from Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, Guntur, Prakasam and other districts search for diamonds in Maddikera, M. Agraharam, Peravali, Jonnagiri, Tuggali, Ratana, Girigetla, Pagidirai and other villages in the revenue division. They stay in the villages for two to three months and search for diamonds from dawn. Traders are getting ready to buy diamonds and the transactions take place on a large scale at Peravali. It is learnt that several locals found diamonds in these areas. Farmers reportedly found diamonds in Tuggali and Maddikera areas in the first week of June. It is learnt that local traders bought these diamonds. A farmer reportedly found a diamond worth Rs 5 lakh.

Recently, De Beers India Prospecting Private Limited conducted an aerial survey in Ganjehalli, Bailuppula, B. Agraharam in Gonegandla mandal, Ternekal in Devanakonda mandal, Ba-navanur in Aspari mandal and Kadivella village in Yemmiganur mandal. The organisation reportedly sought permission to unearth diamonds along with an American firm. Traders are making huge profits as locals are selling them for whatever price they get, fearing police cases. Two days ago, a trader reportedly purchased a diamond only for Rs 90,000 at Maddikera area. Traders are also giving a pair of clothes and gold ornaments to diamond sellers to ensure that they will sell diamonds only to them again. They are also giving Rs 50 to Rs 100 to those who bring coloured stones so as not to discourage them. No diamond was handed over to government in the last 10 years.
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May 19 2011 Kurnool: A man reportedly found found a diamond in Jonnagiri in Tuggali mandal limits here on Tuesday. He reportedly contacted a jewellery shop owner and sold it for Rs 4 lakh in Gooty in Anantapur district, while local people felt that the actual cost of the diamond would be Rs 9 to 10 lakh.

Name is Kollur but Daimonds from Kurnool

The Kollur Mine in Guntur district of old Golkonda kingdom, India, was one of the most productive diamond mines in India and the first major diamond center. It is situated on the right bank of the river Krishna. It operated between the sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. In addition to the Kollur Mine, the Paritala, Gollapally, Mallavally, Ramallakota, and Banganapally were extremely prolific mines in India during this period. At the height of production, it was recorded that around 60,000 people mined the region, including men, women, and children of all ages. Kurnool is the part of kollur daimond maines. not only Rammallakota, and Banaganapalli and also Vajragiri (at present village is not avilable physically),munimadugu also part of kollur maines.
The most celebrated Kohinoor diamond was mined in the Kollur mines.
The famous diamond known as the "French Blue" or the "Tavernier Blue" was stolen by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier from the Kollur mine in the mid-17th century. The diamond was purchased from Tavernier by King Louis XIV of France but was stolen during the French Revolution; it is believed to have reappeared as the recut Wittelsbach Diamond.[citation needed] The Indian mines were eventually depleted and the diamond center shifted to Brazil where new diamond mines were discovered. Many of the most famous and notable diamonds were mined from these early Indian mines, including the Koh-i-noor, the Regent Diamond, the Great Mogul (all from the Kollur); the Daria-i-Noor, the Orloff, the Dresden Green,
INDIAN DIAMOND HISTORY AS PER G.S.I.PORTAL
For winning the diamonds, the ancients mined mostly secondary (sedimentary) rocks i.e., the river gravels and conglomerates, a few primary (igneous) rocks i.e., kimberlites and lamproites and surface soils distributed mainly in the districts of Krishna, Guntur, Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam, Cuddapah and Anantapur districts. The mines at Wairagarh were in the secondary rocks and those at Raichur are not clear.Along the banks of the Krishna River, aptly termed as Diamond River, for a length of about 300 km between Sangam, the confluence of the Krishna and Tungabhadra Rivers, and Vijayawada in A.P., particularly Kolluru - Paritala belt, was the scene of intense mining activity producing a galaxy of historically world famous diamonds, such as the Koh -i- Noor (186 ct), the Great Mogul (787 ct), the Pitt or Regent (410 ct), the Orloff (300 ct), the Nizam (440 ct) and the Hope (67 ct). Of all the diamonds, the Koh-i-Noor is more famous and perhaps it is the only diamond, which fell into many hands and crossed borders of several countries without being sold and ruled the destinies of many kingdoms. Historical accounts though differ on the authenticity of the period of their recovery, and their weights, all point to the Krishna Valley as the source for these celebrated diamonds.Famous conglomerate mines were at Ramallakota, Banganapalle, Vajragiri and Munimadugu in Kurnool district and Kolluru in Guntur district. The surface soils of the Wajrakarur and Jonnagiri areas in Anantapur and Kurnool districts and a few of the Wajrakarur kimberlite pipes in Anantapur district and the Chelima lamproite dykes in Kurnool district were also mined for diamonds. Large size diamonds were not only recovered from the Krishna gravels but also from the mines of Wajrakarur area known for many kimberlites bodies, under the Vijayanagar Kingdom.Many, in the earlier times, mentioned about the occurrence of diamonds in Raichur area of Karnataka during Vijayanagar empire (1420-21), It is given to understand that -the Kingdom had a regular income from the diamond mines of Raichur Doab (Area between two Rivers). It was because of these and other mineral deposits that the Raichur Doab was always coveted by the Bahmanis and after them by Bijapur and Vijayanagar rulers.The central -eastern part of India had also witnessed ancient diamond mining activity centered around Wairagarh, known as Beiragarh in the earlier times. They are located about 125 km northeast of Chandrapur in Maharashtra and at the confluence of Satti Nadi and Kobragarhi, tributaries of the Wainaganga River. The gravels of Baghain River, superficial lateritic gravels and Vindhyan conglomerates in the Panna belt were worked for these precious gems. The Mahanadi River gravels in Sambalpur-Hirakud area in eastern India also witnessed diamond mining in the medieval period