National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

metres. The use of down hole drill cameras that detect faults behind pit walls, showing detailsin millimetres, is now possible. Radar technology is used for monitoring pit wall stability andto improve productivity and safety in the mines.7.38 The same also applies to value addition activities through beneficiation, blending, andcalibration. Iron ore yields can be of different grades in terms of iron (Fe) content. Lowergrade ores are required to be upgraded by way of beneficiation. Blending and calibration areprocesses that lead to the creation of customised ore of the exact type, size, and graderequired by a specific steel mill. This is not only value addition for the miner but also leads tomore cost-effective steel making. However, sometimes captive miners may not optimise theirmining operations due to market considerations, leading to accumulation and even wastage oflow grade ores, especially of the non-lumpy category. The stand alone miners in India also donot always beneficiate, calibrate, or blend because they are mainly servicing the exportmarket and these processes are undertaken at the importers’ end. Their scale of operationsdoes not permit them to spend the requisite time, effort, and investment to add this value.Thus, lower grade ores remain in the ground, leading to wastage of national resources. Thismay be contrasted with the international scenario where major resource companies havedeveloped high technologies for beneficiating, calibrating, and blending and are thus able tomine optimally and add value to the ore itself. Presentations to the Committee revealed thatBilliton’s customised proprietary IT systems in mining yields information on all elements ofore available, guides geologists in blending different ores, and eliminates disruption in blendswith shift changes. It has been seen in some cases that recoverable reserves at market gradehave been uplifted by 38 per cent by beneficiation alone and by using the appropriateblending technology the resource uplift may be made up to 156 per cent, thereby enhancingthe total recoverable reserves by as much as 188 per cent. Thus the use of technology notonly gives resource optimisation but also leads to overall resource augmentation.7.39 As regards infrastructure and environment management, the issue of infrastructure hasalready been dealt with in Chapter 4. It has been mentioned in that chapter that the largemining companies of the world have been responsible for investment in and creation ofinfrastructure on a massive scale. The concept of environmental management in mining isbecoming increasingly sophisticated and environmental management has become a highlyprofessional activity requiring great expertise. The focus on sustainable development requiresthat the mined area be brought back to the same or better state after mining operations areover than it was at the outset. Mining operations are required to be planned in such a way asto mitigate the impact on flora and fauna, minimise land degradation during the life of the156