Gaighat, July 13: Udayapur’s Rautamai Rural Municipality is believed to possess significant mineral resources, including limestone for cement production, iron ore and quartz deposits used in glass manufacturing. However, most of these resources remain unexplored due to the lack of detailed studies and government-led research.
According to Gajendra Bahadur Khadka, a local resident and former Chairperson of Rautamai Rural Municipality, a large deposit of quartz stone suitable for glass production is located in the Namanta area of Ward No. 4, a remote and mountainous region of the municipality.
Khadka said iron ore deposits have also been identified at several locations, including Lapha (Ward No. 3), Nigale (Ward No. 6), Khanidanda (Ward No. 5), and Chhintang Phedi (Ward No. 7). Despite their potential, none of these sites has undergone comprehensive geological exploration by the relevant government authorities.
He added that many valuable mineral resources in the district have remained neglected due to a lack of publicity, promotion and investment in geological studies.
Similarly, potential quartz deposits located at Pakana (Ward No. 3), Tatne (Ward No. 1), Yamungtar (Ward No. 8), Rasuwa and Kurkuse (Ward No. 6), Dumrithumka Dharapani (Ward No. 7), and Layang Bhir (Ward No. 6) have also not been scientifically studied.
Responding to inquiries, Narayan Baskota, Senior Under-Secretary and Information Officer at the Department of Mines and Geology, said only four limestone mines used for cement production have been officially registered and are currently operating in Udayapur.
He confirmed that no detailed studies have yet been conducted on the district’s other mineral resources and that no such research programmes have been planned for the upcoming fiscal year.
Private industrial estate planned
Meanwhile, Big Group, one of Nepal’s major hydropower investors, is preparing to establish a private industrial estate on approximately 45 bighas of land at Padamnagar in Surunga Municipality–3, Saptari, near the border with Triyuga Municipality of Udayapur.
The proposed industrial estate, to be known as Big Indus, aims to establish seven manufacturing industries that will utilise raw materials sourced from Rautamai. According to Big Group Chairman Birendra Neupane, the project will manufacture products including glass, iron, paint, bitumen, lubricants and tyre oil.
He said the first phase of the project will focus on the production of iron and glass, with an estimated investment of approximately Rs. 6 billion. Construction of factory buildings is currently underway, after which machinery and production equipment will be installed.
Neupane said the company has already begun the registration process to extract iron ore from the Lapha mine and quartz stone from Layang Bhir for glass manufacturing. According to him, preliminary assessments have shown that the raw materials found in both mining sites are of high quality.
He also noted that the iron ore deposit at Lapha was reportedly used by local residents nearly a century ago. Even today, the ore found at the site is naturally attracted to magnets, indicating a high iron content. However, mining activities were abandoned in the past because the available traditional furnace technology was not capable of processing the ore efficiently. #nepal
