SHILLONG: After last year’s controversy over UCIL floating tender for extracting uranium in the State, now another online tender was floated by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, under the Department of Atomic Energy, for carrying out drilling to explore uranium mines.

The Notice Inviting Tender floated on the website on December 27 last said the work will be related to 15,000 m core drilling in Nongjri Plateau in South West Khasi Hills district, with boreholes of depth varying from 450 to 550 m.

Firms can participate in both technical and commercial bids.

The last date for submission of tenders and opening of the same is on January 30.

Concerned over the matter, the KSU South West Khasi Hills opposed any kind of exploration in the area. “We oppose the tender floated by AMD for drilling uranium,” the KSU South West Khasi Hills president Forwardman Nongrem said.

Last year on July 2, a tender notice was issued by the Chairman and Managing Director of Uranium Corporation of India Limited, a Government of India enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy, to set up an open-pit mine and processing plant of uranium ore in South West Khasi Hills district.

Following this, the State Government decided to keep in abeyance the EOI of UCIL and all pre-uranium mining activities in the State.

Later during the cabinet meeting in August, the cabinet decided to revoke an earlier decision to lease land to UCIL for pre-mining activities.