By Modnath Dhakal

Kathmandu, Jun 18: The Department of Mines and Geology (DMG) has opened licenses of 10 mines ranging from coal to gold located in various districts across the country.
Of the total non-petroleum mines opened for licensing, three are of copper, two of limestone, and one each of salt, gold, coal, kaoline and granite.
The DMG has published a notice on Wednesday to bid out mining license of four mines and prospecting licenses for the remaining sites.
Mining license will be awarded for limestone deposits at Khamilek in Kapurkot Gaunpalika of Salyan district and Kandrang Gadhi in Benighat-Rorang Gaunpalika of Dhading with 5 km and 5.3 km square km area. Kamilek has electricity and road access while Kandrang Gadhi has only road connectivity.
Other projects ready for mining license award are salt deposit at Narsing Khola in Barahagaun Muktikshetra Gaunpalika in Mustang district and granite deposit at Daman in Thaha Municipality in Makwanpur.
Rest of the sites – gold deposit in Rolpa, coal in Palpa, kaoline in Makwanpur, and copper in Makwanpur, Udaypur and Dhading - are ready for the prospecting licenses.
“As the quantity and quality of the deposits of those six sites is not studied in detail, the department has opened licenses for exploration as well,” said Dr. Janak Bahadur Chand, Information Officer of the DMG.
According to the notice, gold prospect at Gam in Sunchhahari Gaunpalika of Rolpa, kaoline prospect at Daman in Thaha Municipality, coal prospect at Jhirubas in Nisdi Gaunpalika of Palpa, and copper at Dhusa in Benighat-Rorang Gaunpalika of Dhading, Agrakhola in Thaha Municipality of Makwanpur and Lekhani in Katari Municipality of Udaypur district are open for prospecting license.
Kaoline is clay created by weathering minerals and used in ceramics, said Dr. Chand.
The gold prospect site in Ropla has the largest site including 30 sq. km followed by copper prospect in Udaypur with 24 sq. km, and copper in Dhading and Makwanpur with 12 sq. km each.
The DMG has already carried out exploration works of these minerals and prepared data packages consisting of Terms of Reference (TOR) with general and technical information of these prospects/deposits.
“The bid notice is published in the newspaper and online. But this is not e-bidding,” said Dr. Chand.
He said that since the company needed to be registered in Nepal to be eligible to apply for the mining and prospecting license, the lockdown would not deter the interested parties.
The DMG had prepared the details of the sites and bid notice much earlier but had waited for the government to ease the lockdown to publish it, said Dr. Chand.