But environmentalists are concerned that the Rs.2,200 crore Bunder diamond mining project involves clearing 971 hectares of forest area in Chhatarpur region of Madhya Pradesh. After diamond was discovered in the area in 2004, the Madhya Pradesh government and the Rio Tinto Exploration India Pvt. FAC, in March, had also asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority, India’s nodal authority for protecting tigers, to examine the Rio Tinto project. Rio Tinto says there are 53.7 million tonnes of Kimberlite ore—the rocks that contain diamonds—at the site with 34.2 million carats of diamonds. Rio Tinto says there are diamonds worth Rs.20,520 crore in Bunder.

Source: Mint July 28, 2016 10:30 UTC