Kathmandu: The government is preparing to issue permits to search for gold mines in Sunchhahari rural municipality of Rolpa district. The government on Monday called for proposals to issue a license for detailed exploration of gold mines in the area.

The government is seeking applications from the private sector for the detailed study and exploration after a preliminary study by the Department of Mines and Geology found traces of gold on the rocks in the rural municipality.

In addition to exploration of gold, the department has called for proposals to issue permits for extracting limestone from three mines along with extraction of granite, dolomite, magnesite and iron from one mine each in different parts of the country. The department has also published a notification for further exploration of two phosphorite mines.

It is mentioned in the notification that the application for exploration permit should be submitted within 45 days and for mining permit within 60 days from the date of publication of the notification.

According to Shiv Kumar Baskota, under-secretary of the mineral resources branch of the department, the government has so far issued three permits for gold exploration. Among them, two permits have been issued for exploration in Rolpa's Sunchahari Rural Municipality.

"The newly issued proposal is for exploration in a new place within Sunchhahari Rural Municipality," Baskota told New Business Age.

Currently, Vienna Multipurpose Group Pvt Ltd and Classic Minerals Pvt Ltd have been given permission to explore gold within Sunchhahari Rural Municipality, while Sangrila Minerals Pvt Ltd has been given permission to explore gold in Swargadwari area of Pyuthan.

According to the officials of the department, they has been issuing permits to search for two types of gold mines. First kind involves the permit for exploring the primary source of gold found in the rock and the second one is to explore the source of gold found in the rivers. Sangrila Minerals has been given permission to search for gold that has flowed into the river.

According to Baskota, the department had issued permits in the past to search for gold on the banks of the Karnali River in Bardiya, on the banks of the Madi River in Pyuthan and on the banks of the Rapti River in Dang.

"Some domestic companies along with Nepali companies with Chinese investment and some other companies were issued exploration permits," he said.

Such permission is given for a period of years. “Most of them could not find the source and quit,” said Baskota.

According to him, primary gold mines have not been found in any other place except Sunchhahari rural municipality of Rolpa.

Meanwhile, a proposal has been invited to extract limestone in Kupinde rural municipality of Salyan Rorang rural municipality of Dhading and Sitganga municipality of Arghakhanchi.

Similarly, applications have been requested to operate granite mine in Roshi Rural Municipality of Kavrepalanchok District, dolomite in Tuwachung Municipality of Khotang, magnesite in Triyuga Municipality of Udayapur and iron mine in Bhume Rural Municipality of Rukum East.

According to the department, applications have also been requested for further exploration of phosphorite in Puchaudi Municipality of Baitadi and Dogadkedar Rural Municipality of the same district.