People of Kotli Salal in Jammu and Kashmirs Reasi district, 75 kilometres from Jammu, are excited at the news of the discovery of vast deposits of lithium, hoping that this will change their fortunes and open new vistas for employment and prosperity.
Kotli Salal hit the headlines after the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium and became the focus of attention for people across the country.
"The teams have left after conducting surveys for two years. It was done with the help of drilling machines. The samples were sent to Lucknow for testing and now we have got the good news," Rajinder Singh, Naib Sarpanch of Kotli Salal, said.
He said the discovery of lithium in the area is certainly good news for the people as this will open new employment opportunities.
"After the NHPC power project was set up at Salal many years ago, this is the second major project that will come up in the area. It will trigger development and end unemployment."
Reasi district, also famous for being home to the world's highest railway bridge, now sees itself at the cusp of developmental activities with the world's second largest deposits of lithium becoming a potential game changer.
"I can't believe that lithium deposits have been found in our village. My excitement knew no limits when ministries and prominent officials tweeted about the same," a local villager of Salal Himnagar said.
"We are fortunate that such a big discovery has been made in our area. This is not a small project; it will be worth billions. Our village will sparkle due to this. Nobody from Salal Himnagar will remain unemployed anymore. A mineral that used to be imported from other countries will now be extracted from our village, what can be a bigger thing for me than this?"
Speaking to IANS HL Langeh, Joint Director Geology and Mining J&K, said the investigation was conducted by the Geological Survey of India which presented the report on February 9.
He said that the report has four stages - G1, G2, G3 and G4. He added the work has been completed for G4 and G3 stages and now G1 and G2 stages will be done for further investigation about the recovery and extraction of lithium.
"The aspect of technology will have to be looked into, whether the technology is available with us right now for recovering lithium," Lageth said.
He said the project for extraction of lithium will open up job opportunities for the locals.
"The project will have to pass through several stages including an environmental clearance from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change," he added.
PM Modi to fly to US on Saturday for Quad meet, UNGA Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to leave on Saturday morning for the US, where he will take part in the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit, which is being hosted in Delaware by US President Joe Biden, and address the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly.
Various types of crimes have significantly reduced: CM
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha emphasized on Friday that the present state government is determined to establish good governance in the state, stating that various types of crimes have reduced due to the rule of law.
Indian national handed over to BSF a week after abduction in B’desh
Nearly a week after an Indian national was reportedly abducted while he was visiting in Bangladesh with a valid passport and documents, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Friday handed over him to the Border Security Force (BSF) in presence of immigration and police officials of the two countries.
RG Kar case: CBI custody of Sandip Ghosh, Abhijit Mondal extended till Sep 25
Both Ghosh and Mondal have been accused of misleading the initial phase of the investigation into the incident conducted by the Kolkata Police before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was handed the charge of the probe by the Calcutta High Court.
RG Kar Tragedy: Junior doctors' sit-in lifted officially after rally to CBI office
The sit-in protest by the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), in front of the state Health Department headquarters at Salt Lake, against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital last month was officially lifted on Friday evening.
Delhi coaching centre deaths: SC asks high-powered panel to file interim report within 4 weeks
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the high-powered panel, formed by the Union government following the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in Delhi's Old Rajendra Nagar in July, to file an interim report within four weeks.
Assam Rifles seizes drugs worth Rs 14.04 Crore from Teliamura
In a significant success against drug trafficking, Assam Rifles, in a coordinated operation with the Tripura Police Department, successfully seized 90,000 yaba tablets in Teliamura sub-division of Tripura's Khowai district on 19 September.
Review meeting on Mayer Gomon to take place on September 22
According to a press release, "A review meeting will be held on September 22 at 3 pm at Muktadhara Auditorium with Puja Committees/Clubs and officials from various departments in Agartala and adjoining areas to assess the steps taken to organize the carnival."