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Udayapur’s Rautamai area is believed to hold significant mineral deposits, including limestone reserves for cement production, iron ore and quartz stone required for glass production.

However, extraction work has not begun due to the lack of study and research by government agencies. Gajendra Bahadur Khadka, a local and former chairperson of Rautamai Rural Municipality, said a large deposit of quartz stone required for glass production is preserved in Namanta area of Ward No. 4 of the rural municipality, which has a remote and mountainous terrain.

According to former chairperson Khadka, iron ore deposits are located at different places, including Lapha in Ward No. 3, Nigale in Ward No. 6, Khanidanda in Ward No. 5 and Chhintang Phedi in Ward No. 7 of Rautamai. However, detailed studies and exploration of these deposits have not been carried out by the concerned government agencies.

He said many mineral deposits in the district have remained overlooked due to a lack of publicity and promotion.

Similarly, quartz mining areas at Pakana in Ward No. 3, Tatne in Ward No. 1, Yamungtar in Ward No. 8, Rasuwa and Kurkuse in Ward No. 6, Dumrithumka Dharapani in Ward No. 7 and Layang Bhir in Ward No. 6 have also not undergone any study due to negligence by the concerned authorities. Contacted for information, Narayan Baskota, senior under-secretary and information officer at the Department of Mines and Geology, said only four cement mines in Udayapur have been registered and are currently in operation.

He added that no study or research has so far been conducted on other mineral resources and there is no such programme planned for the coming fiscal year. Meanwhile, Big Group, one of Nepal’s major hydropower investors, is preparing to establish a private industrial estate on around 45 bighas of land at Padamnagar in Surunga Municipality-3 of Saptari, bordering Triyuga Municipality of Udayapur.

The group plans to establish seven separate industries producing various goods, including iron and glass, using raw materials available in Rautamai.

Big Group Chairman Birendra Neupane said work is under way to establish an industrial estate named Big Indus at Padamnagar with investment led by him. The estate aims to produce glass, iron, paints, bitumen, lubricants and tyre oil.

According to Neupane, the group plans to begin production of iron and glass within the next year in the first phase, with an estimated investment of around Rs. 6 billion. Construction of factory buildings is currently under way, followed by the installation of machinery and equipment. Neupane said the registration process for extracting iron ore from Lapha in Rautamai Rural Municipality and quartz stone from Layang Bhir for glass production has already begun.

He added that the raw materials found in both mines have been identified as being of high quality.

The iron ore mine was reportedly used by local people nearly a century ago. Even today, the raw materials found there are attracted by magnets. However, the mine remained abandoned in the past due to difficulties in processing the ore using traditional furnace technology.

By Bhaktibilas Pokharel