dhalai.pdf - DSTE Tripura

DISTRICT SURVEY REPORT (DHALAI DISTRICT, TRIPURA)

1 | P a g e P r e p a r e d b y : R S P G r e e n D e v e l o p m e n t & L a b o r a t o r i e s P v t . L t d .

CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE

This District Survey Report (DSR) of Dhalai district, Tripura, has been prepared by RSP Green

Development and Pvt. Ltd., Howrah, West Bengal, India.

Any reproduction, direct or indirect other than for the specific purpose for which the report has been

prepared, should not be carried out, without prior written consent of RSP Green Development and

Pvt. Ltd. and Govt. of Tripura.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Last but not the least, RSP Green Development and Pvt. Ltd. Record their sincere thanks and

gratefulness to the Government functionaries of Tripura and prominent citizens of Dhalai

district and also the villagers in and around the villagers who have offered their fullest

cooperation unhesitatingly but for which the execution of the work would have not become

as smooth as it has been.



With Thanks ……………….

Depertment Respected Person(s) Designation

Forest

Respected Dr. Alind Rastogi, IFS, PCCF & HoFF

“ Shri Mahender Singh, IFS, DFO

“ Shri Jashpaul Debbarma SDFO

“ Shri Naresh Babu N SDFO

“ All Officers Forest Dept (H.O)

District Administration

Respected Shri Vikas Singh, IAS District Magistrate (DM)

“ Shri J.B.Duati Senior District Magistrate

All Officers & Others Officers

DSTE

Respected Shri Shivanand S. Talawar IFS Director

“ All Officers Science, Technology & Environment Deptt

TSPCB

Respected Sri Manas Mukherjee Member Secretary

“ Dr. Mihir Kumar Das Scientist-C & HoO

All Officers Tripura State Pollution Control Board

Rural Development

Respected Swapan Das Chief Engineers

“ All Officers RD Depertment



Contents

Sl NO Chapter Page No

01 Preface 06-07

02 Introduction 07-09

03 General Profile of the District 10-34

04 Physio graphy of the District 35-36

05 Land use Pattern of the District 37-40

06 Geology 41-45

07 Mineral Wealth 46-50 08 Over view of Mining Activity in the

District 51-51

09 Details of Revenue Generated from Mineral Sector During last three years

52-52

10 Transport 53-53

11 Executive Summary 54-54



"Landaus patterns are an expression of deep

political economic and cultural structure; they do

not change when an ecologist or forester sounds

the alarm that a country is losing its resource

base".

Anonymous



1. PREFACE

On 15 January 2016, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of

India issued a notification and in which Para 7(iii) (a) and Annexure (x), purpose and structure

of District Survey Report has been discussed. District Survey report (DSR) will be prepared

in every district for each minor mineral. The District Survey Report will guide systematic and

scientific utilization of natural resources, so that present and future generation may be

benefited at large. The guidelines of MoEF will support that fundamental concept, promoting

environmental protection, limiting negative physiological, hydrological and social impacts

under pinning sustainable economic growth. Sand is naturally occurring granular material

composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles between 115 µ to 4.75 mm in diameter

(IS 383-1970). Sand is formed due to weathering of rocks due to mechanical forces. In the

process the weathered rocks form gravel at first and then sand. It is also felt that the grater

use of substitute material (manufactured sand, artificial sand etc.) and construction

technology and sustainable use of the resource could drastically reduce adverse impact of

mining on the environment. The broad principal on which any sustainable sand mining

guidelines or policy can be based is that river or natural resources must be utilized for the

benefit of the preset and future generation, so river resources should be prudently managed

and developed.

The purpose of District Survey report (DSR) "identification of areas of aggradations or

deposition where mining can be allowed; and identification of areas of erosion and proximity

to infrastructural structures and installations where mining should be prohibited and

calculation of annual rate of replenishment and allowing time for replenishment after

mining in that area". The District Survey report (DSR) will contain mainly data published and

endorsed by various departments and websites about Geology of the area, Mineral wealth

details of rivers, Details of Lease and Mining activity in the District along with Sand mining

and revenue of minerals. This report also contains details of Forest, Rivers, Soil, Agriculture,

Road, Transportation and climate etc.

In the North-eastern part of Tripura, the district covers an area of about 2426 sq. km. It is

mainly between two hills: Atharamura Range and Sakhan Range. More than 70% area is hilly



and forest covered. The terrain is mostly undulating and hilly with small water streams,

rivers and fertile valleys intervening. Major rivers originating from Dhalai are Dhalai,

Khowai, Gomati and Manu. Major hills are Atharamura, Longtharai, Kalajhari and part of

Sakhan.

Geologically the hill tracks of Tripura in general and Dhalai district in particular consists of

Tertiary rocks, which has been later covered by the alluvial deposits.

Disclaimer: - The data may vary due to flood, heavy rains and other natural calamities.

Therefore, it is recommended that DEIAA may take into consideration all its relevant aspects

/ data while scrutinizing and recommending the application for EC to the concerned

Authority.



2. INTRODUCTION

Dhalai District was created in the year of 1995 by bifurcating North Tripura District and

including part of Amarpur Sub-Division of the South Tripura District. It was created keeping

in view the administrative exigency of providing development & good governance to the

largely Tribal & inaccessible areas. The District is named after Dhalai River which originates

in the District.

Dhalai district of Tripura is located between 23°25′ N to 24°14′ N latitude and between 91°44′ E

to 92°10′ E longitude (Dhima et al., 2011). The district isbordered by Bangladesh and Unakoti

district of Tripura on the north, by Bangladesh on the south, by North district of Tripura on the

east and by Khowai and Gomati districts of Tripura on the west. It shares a total international

boundary of about 169 kilometres with Bangladesh (Dhima et al., 2011). The district is

accessible with rest of Tripura including the capital city Agartala through National Highway

44. The Headquarter of the district is located at Ambassa, situated beside the National

Highway 44 in the Ambassa Block.

In Tripura, the mineral resources are mainly glass sands, limestone, plastic clay and hard

rock; all of these materials are being used to a variable degree. However, the single most

important resources in the state is oil and natural gas. ONGC has initiated massive

exploration programme in the state.

According to the 2011 census Dhalai district has a population of 377,988, roughly equal to the

nation of Maldives. This gives it a ranking of 564th in India. Its population growth rate over

the decade 2001-2011 was 22.78%.Dhalai has a sex ratio of 945 females for every 1000

malesand a literacy rate of 86.82%.

As is evident the District is largely a Tribal district with 56% Tribal population. The major

tribes are Tripuri, Reang, Kuki (Halam/Darlong/Hrangkhawl), Koloi & Chakma. Reangs are

one of the Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) as classified by the Govt of India. Tribals mostly

reside in the remote hilly forested areas with the fertile valleys being occupied by the Non-

tribals (mostly Bengalis).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_census_of_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_planning_in_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_ratio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_India



Source: Dhalai District Profile

Map 1: Administrative map of Dhalai District



3. GENERAL PROFILE OF THE DISTRICT

a) GENERAL INFORMATION

Geographical Area: -Located in the North-eastern part of Tripura, the District covers an area of about

2312.29 sq km. It is mainly located between two hills namely „Atharamura range‟ & „Sakhan Range‟. More than

70% area is hilly and forest covered. The terrain is mostly undulating & hilly with small water streams (chheras)

, rivers and fertile valleys intervening.

Geographical Position: -The District headquarters at Ambassa is located at a distance of about 85

km from the State capital Agartala. It is connected through National Highway (NH-44) and takes

around 2(two) – 3(three) hours to reach the District headquarter from Agartala. In January 2015

Broad Gauge Railway link has been established at Ambassa. The District is bordered by Bangladesh

on the Northern & Southern sides.

The district has meter gauge rail connectivity on the Lumding-Agartala line with stations at

Manu, Jawaharnagar and Ambassa. There is a non-functional airstrip at Kamalpur. Tripura Road

Transport Commission runs bus service from Ambassa to Agartala, Kamalpur, Gandacherra. Nearly

330 habitations, out of a total of 1037, are not connected by any motorable road, about 95 of them

being in the Gandacherra region. There are many individual private operators who run local

transport services to block headquarters, villages and to Agartala. Private transport companies also

run bus service from Ambassa to Shillong and Guwahati.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawaharnagar_railway_station

http://tsu.trp.nic.in/transport/





Map 2: Location Map of Dhalai District

Source: Dhalai District Profile, 2016-17



Administrative Divisions (Sub-Divisions, Blocks): -Dhalai district has four Sub-divisions namely-

Ambassa, Kamalpur, Longtarai valley, and Gandacharra, comprising of five Blocks i.e. Ambassa,

Salema, Manu, Chhawmanu and Dumburnagar. However, on 21st January 2012, the Government of

Tripura have created another Block from Kamalpur Sub-division i.e. Durga chawmuhani Block for

better administration.

SUB DIVISION/ MAHAKUMA REVENEU CIRCLE TEHSIL

KAMALPUR Kamalpur Kamalpur, Manikbhandar,

Barsurma, Mahabir,

Mayachhori

Salema Halhali, Salema,

Kochuchhara, Borlutma

LONGTARAI VALLEY Manu Manu, Karamchhara,

Chailengta

Chhamanu Chhamanu, Manikpur,

Gobindapur GONDACHHARA Gondachhara Gondachhara,

Raissabari, Jagabandhupara,

Hatimatha

AMBASSA Ambassa Dolubari, Nalichhara,

Ambassa, Shikaribari

Ganganagar Ganganagar



Sl.

No.

Name of the

Subdivision

Headquarters

Number of Blocks

Name of Tehsils

1 AMBASSA

Ambassa

Ambassa, Ganganagar

Ambassa,Dalubari, Nalichara, Shikaribari & Ganganagar

2 KAMALPUR

Kamalpur

Salema & Durgachowmuh ani

Kamalpur.Barasurma,Mahabir,Manik bhander, Mayachari, Baralutma, Halhali, Salema & Kachuchara

3 GANDACHERRA

Gandachara

Dumburnagar, Raishyabari

Gandachara, Jagbandhupara, Raishyabari & Hathimatha

4 LONGTHARAI VALLEY

Chailengta

Manu & Chawmanu

Manu,Chailengta,Karamchara, Chawmanu, Manikpur &Gobindbari

No. of Panchayat:-Total No. of Blocks- 8 Nos, Total No. of GP/VC-151(GP-41 & VC-110). List of 8 Blocks

are given below.

SL.NO BLOCK NAME Name of GP/ADC Village GP/VC

1

AMBASSA

Kekmacherra Gram Panchayat

2 Purba Nalicherra Gram Panchayat

3 Uttar Nalicherra Gram Panchayat

4 Basudevpara Gram Panchayat

5 Kulai Gram Panchayat

6 Paschim Lalchari Gram Panchayat

7 Paschim Balaram Gram Panchayat

8 Bagmara Village Committee

9 Balaram Village Committee

10 Gurudhanpara Village Committee

11 Harimangal Village Committee

12 Jagannathpur Village Committee

13 Jeolcherra Village Committee

14 Kamalacherra Village Committee

15 Kathalbari Village Committee

16 Kulai RF Village Committee

17 Lalchari Village Committee

18 Sikaribari Village Committee

19 Paschim Nalicherra Village Committee

20 Ghantacherra Village Committee

21 Kachimcherra Village Committee

22 Raipassa Village Committee

TOTAL 22 (7 GPs, 15 VCs)



SL.NO BLOCK NAME Name of GP/ADC Village GP/VC

1

MANU

Kanchancherra Village Committee

2 Nalkata Village Committee

3 West Karamcherra Village Committee

4 East Karamcherra Village Committee

5 West Masli Village Committee

6 East Masli Village Committee

7 West Kathalcherra Village Committee

8 East Kathalcherra Village Committee

9 Deo RF Village Committee

10 Chichingcherra Village Committee

11 Naitongcherra Village Committee

12 South Dhumacherra Village Committee

13 North Dhumacherra Village Committee

14 Demcherra Village Committee

15 Sindhukumar para Village Committee

16 Manu Village Committee

17 Mainama Village Committee

18 Gainama Village Committee

19 Chailengta Village Committee

20 Lalcherra Village Committee

21 Dalucherra Village Committee

22 Labancherra Village Committee

23 Longtorai RF Village Committee

24 Jamircherra Village Committee

25 Battala Village Committee

26 Karaticherra Village Committee

27 East Manu Village Committee

28 North Mainama Village Committee

29 South Chailengta Village Committee

30 South Lalcherra Village Committee

31 West Jamircherra Village Committee

TOTAL 31 VCs



Sl. No. BLOCK NAME Name of GP/ADC Village GP/VC

1

Ultacherra Village Committee

2 Laxmipur Village Committee

3 Gandacherra Village Committee

4 Sarma Village Committee

5 Pancharatan Village Committee

6 Jagabandhupara Village Committee

7 Ramnagar Village Committee

8 Kalajhari Village Committee

9 Ratannagar Village Committee

10 DUMBURNAGAR BLOCK Dhalajhari Village Committee

11 Bhagirath Village Committee

12 Dalapati Village Committee

13 Kalyansingh Village Committee

14 Chitrajhari Village Committee

15 Nakyacherra Village Committee

16 Narayanpur Village Committee

17 Paschim Gandacherra Village Committee

18 Ranirpukur Village Committee

19 Uttar Gandacherra Village Committee

TOTAL 19 VCs


1

GANGANAGAR BLOCK

Chakmapara Village Committee

2 Ganganagar Village Committee

3 Karmapara Village Committee

4 Karnamanipara Village Committee

5 Radharambari Village Committee

6 Siddhapara Village Committee

7 Tetuiya Village Committee

TOTAL 7 VCs




1

Bamancherra Gram Panchayat

2 Bilashcherra Gram Panchayat

3 Chot surma Gram Panchayat

4 Chulubari Gram Panchayat

5 Debicherra Gram Panchayat

6

DURGACHOWMUHANI

BLOCK

Durai Shibbari Gram Panchayat

7 East Lambucherra Gram Panchayat

8 Halhali Gram Panchayat

9 Halhuli Gram Panchayat

10 Harerkhola Gram Panchayat

11 Kalachari Gram Panchayat

12 Kuchainala Gram Panchayat

13 Mahabir Gram Panchayat

14 Manik Bhandar Gram Panchayat

15 Maracherra Gram Panchayat

16 Mayachari Gram Panchayat

17 Mohanpur Gram Panchayat

18 Noagaon Gram Panchayat

19 Baligaon Gram Panchayat

20 South Kalacheri Gram Panchayat 21 South Manik Bhandar Gram Panchayat

22 Uttar Halahali Gram Panchayat

23 West Kuchainala Gram Panchayat

24 Setrai Village Committee

25 Shibbari Village Committee

26 Shyamraicherra Village Committee

27 Shri Rampur Village Committee

28 West Lambucherra Village Committee

29 Dhanchandra Chow. Para Village Committee

TOTAL 29 ( 23 GPs, 6 VCs)



Sl. No. BLOCK NAME

Name of GP/ADC Village GP/VC

1

SALEMA BLOCK

Avanga Gram Panchayat

2 Baralutma Gram Panchayat

3 Chankap Gram Panchayat

4 Dabbari Gram Panchayat

5 East Dalucherra Gram Panchayat

6 Mechuria Gram Panchayat

7 North Kachucherra Gram Panchayat

8 Salema Gram Panchayat

9 West Dulucherra Gram Panchayat

10 Shantirbazar Gram Panchayat

11 Shingi Nala Gram Panchayat

12 Apareskar Village Committee

13 Ashapurna Rj. Para Village Committee

14 Jamthumbari Village Committee

15 Katalutma Village Committee

16 Maharanipur Village Committee

17 Mendi Village Committee

18 Nakfulcherra Village Committee

19 Panboa Village Committee

20 Simbhukchak Village Committee

21 South Kachucherra Village Committee

TOTAL 21 ( 11 GPs, 10 VCs)


1

RAISHYABARI

BLOCK

Purba Potacherra Village Committee

2 Tuichakma Village Committee

3 Thakuracherra Village Committee

4 Boalkhali Village Committee

5 Paschim Potacherra Village Committee

6 Raima Village Committee

7 Narikel Kunja Village Committee

8 Raishyabari Village Committee

TOTAL 8 VCs




1

Chalitacherra Village Committee

2 Durgacherra Village Committee

3 East Chowmanu Village Committee

4 Debacherra Village Committee

5 East Gobindabari Village Committee

6 East Malidhar Village Committee

7 CHAWMANU BLOCK Makarcherra Village Committee

8 Manikpur Village Committee

9 Natinmanu Village Committee

10 North Longthorai Village Committee

11 Rajdhar Village Committee

12 West Chowmanu Village Committee

13 West Gobindabari Village Committee

14 West Malidhar Village Committee

TOTAL 14 VCs

Population (As per Census 2011):-Total population- 378230, Male population- 194544, Female

population- 183686.



b) CLIMATIC CONDITION

Climate of the whole basin is characterized by tropical monsoon type. The rain bearing Monsoon wind

enters Tripura in the middle of May and continues up to the end of September. Storms and thunder

showers are common during pre- monsoon season. Average annual rainfall is very high (2150 mm) in

the study area and 70% of total annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon season (between April to

September). The average maximum annual temperature is 35˚C and minimum annual temperature is

10.50˚C. The hottest months of the year are July and August. November, December and January are

the winter months. Texture of the soils ranges between sandy clay loamy to sandy-loamy and about

63.95% of the total study area is under dense to moderately dense forest cover (Ghosh et al., 2013).

The state as a whole and Dhalai district in particular has a monsoon type of climate. There is however,

difference of temperature between the hills and plains, which ranges between sub-tropical in the

plains to temperate climatic conditions found in the hilly areas. The topographic features seem to

have influenced the climatic condition of the Dhalai district, where the plains are hotter and humid in

comparison to the hills, which have a salubrious climate. The four main seasons here are- (i) Winter

season (December to February), (ii) Pre-monsoon season (March to May), (iii) Monsoon season (June

to September), and (iv) Post Monsoon season (October to November) (Bhatt and Bhargava, 2006).The

district of Dhalai experiences difference in temperature between the hills and the valleys. The

maximum and minimum temperatures during summer are 36 degree Celsius and 16.9 degree Celsius

and during winter are 28 degree Celsius and 5.3 degree Celsius. The month of January is the coldest

while July is the hottest month of the year. The climatic condition of the district as a whole is suitable

for rubber plantation.



c) RAINFALL

MONTH RAINFALL (incm)

JANUARY 1.44

FEBRUARY 2.66

MARCH 6.48

APRIL 14.91

MAY 22.94

JUNE 36.11

JULY 34.52

AUGUST 30.85

SEPTEMBER 22.62

OCTOBER 14.52

NOVEMBER 4.03

DECEMBER 0.99

(Ref: Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation & India Meteorological Department)



Fig 1: Bar diagram of average rainfall, Dhalai District

Fig 2: Pie Chart of average rainfall, Dhalai District

1.442.66

6.48

14.91

22.94

36.1134.52

30.85

22.62

14.52

4.03

0.99

AVERAGE RAINFALL IN cm

AVERAGE RAINFALL IN Cms

1%1%

3%

8%

12%

19%18%

16%

12%

8%

2% 0%

AVERAGE RAINFALL IN cm

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER



d) TOPOGRAPHY & TERRAIN

The topography of Dhalai district is traversed by mostly of rugged terrain with some undulating

surface. About 75 percent of the district geographical areas are characterized by hilly terrain

covered with dense forests and only about 25 percent are plains. Three hills range i.e. Atharamura,

Longtarai and Sakhan ranges are found to be seen here. All these run almost parallel to one another

in a north-south direction and the valleys are present in between the hills. The elevation of these hill

ranges is higher in the south and decrease towards the north; however, the height of these ranges

gains as one move from west to the east direction (Saigal, 1978). These hill ranges are characterized

with narrow ridges, knife edged and steep slopes.

Physiographically, the district can be divided into two divisions- (1) The hill ranges, and (2) The valley /

plain areas.

THE HILL RANGES- The Sakhan range towards the eastern part of the district marks the boundary

between Dhalai district and Unakoti as well as the North district of the state. The western portion of

this range has a relatively gentle slope in comparison to the eastern side as it is characterized by

unequal faults and fractures (Chatterjee, 1984). The Atharamura range in the western part of the

district marks the demarcating boundary between the Khowai-Gomati district and the Dhalai district.

The Longtarai range is placed in the core of the district and is situated between the Atharamura

range in the west and Sakhan range in the east. The northern portion of Longtarai range consists

partly of low hills and partly of flat land covered with scanty vegetation, while the southern parts are

characterized by rough terrain with deep cut ravines (Chatterjee, 1984).

THE VALLEY / PLAIN AREAS- In between the hills range are the valleys characterized by gentle slope

and broken by intermittent small hillocks (Saigal, 1978). The valley / plain areas in the district consist

mainly of Kamalpur plains and the plains covering some portions of Ambassa and Manu Block. The

Kamalpur plains and Ambassa plains lie between the Atharamura range in the west and Longtarai

range in the east. The Kamalpur and Ambassa Sub-divisions are mainly drained by the Dhalai River

and its tributaries depositing large amount of sediments in the low-lying areas during the rainy

season creating a large fertile plain ideal for settled agriculture. Much of these plain areas

are under agricultural land due to its rich humus contents deposited by this river from the

hills range. Manu plains lie between the Longtarai range in the west and Sakhan range in the

east. It is primarily drained by Manu River. The Ambassa and Manu plains consist partly of

small hillock and fertile plain areas where both shifting cultivation and paddy cultivation dominates.



e) WATER COURSE

River Dhalai and Manu river are the main water course of the district. Beside that there are cherras

viz., Jarulchhara, Kanchanchhara etc.

Originated from the Longtarai hill range, the river Dhalai is flowing towards north through the two

parallel structural hill ranges of Atharamura and Longtarai and entered into Bangladesh near

Kamalpur. The whole river basin in Indian part is located within the district of Dhalai, Tripura having

an area of 678.136 sq. km. and 23 subwatersheds. Most of the rivers have formed dendritic drainage

pattern, which indicates that they are flowing through a youthful stage. Altitude of the basin ranges

between 16 m to 498 m. Different types of landforms like structural hills, denudation hill, inter-hill

valley, undulating plains with low mouds and flood plains are found in the study area. The whole basin

is mainly composed of weathered sandstone, shale, silt stone and alluvium (Ghosh et al., 2013).

Manu River in this districtrepresents the river reach from Tripura border to the confluence with

Kushiyara River in Manumukh, Sherpur and it lengths 69.88 km. It is also an alluvial and highly

sinuous river. Ten major bends have been selected in this study reach. The mean highest and lowest

water levels of Manu River are 18.88 m and 12.77 m respectively. It is a highly sinuous river with lots of

meander and lateral bank migration in it (Deb et al., 2012).



Map 3: River system map of Dhalai District




f) GROUND WATER DEVELOPMENT

The tube wells are installed with water jet method and rotary rig method (direct/reverse).Static

water level is in the range of 10-15m below ground level. Numbers of water ponds are also there

which augments village water supply. Rainfall is high in the range of 1800-2000 mm annually. The

study area is mostly dominated by dense vegetation. Paddy cultivation is practiced based on the

rainfall.

Hydro-geologically the area is a moderate to good zone for groundwater development. The water

table lies between 15 m and 20 m below ground level in the unconsolidated sandy sediments of

Recent alluvium. Here the groundwater yield is good and can be developed with the use of deep tube

wells. The water supply for this area and blocks is augmented with dug wells, shallow hand pumps

and mini deep tubewells. Drinking water supply division, resource water division have taken

initiatives and installed number of tubewells in the area, which are in operation mode.



g) DRAINAGE SYSTEM (GENERAL)

The two rivers i.e. Dhalai River and Manu River is the principal river of the district. These rivers are

seasonal and non-perennial as well as not navigable (Chateerjee, 1984). The Manu River originates

from the Kohoisib peak of the Sakhan range and is one of the longest rivers in the state as well as in

the district having a total length of about 167 kilometres. This river has hydroelectric potentialities.

The Dhalai River rises in the Dolajari peak of the Longtarai range having a total length of about 117 km.

(Chatterjee, 1984). The drainage pattern of the rivers of Dhalai district is of Trellis type.

These two rivers are rain fed and transport large volume of water especially during the monsoon

season causing floods in the lower portion of the valleys. The enormous flow of water sometimes

causes the rivers to change their courses (Chatterjee, 1984). During winter season the water level of

these rivers falls drastically and the rivers become almost stagnant, the channel sometimes gets

disconnected (Chatterjee, 1984). Due to this the river water cannot be used for irrigation purpose.



Map 4: Drainage Pattern Map of Dhalai District




h) DEMOGRAPHY

Tripura is the second most populous state in the North-East India, next only to Assam. Once the

indigenous Borok communities dominated the state, but at present the ST population comprising of 19

tribes has become a minority in its own land due to the large influx of immigrants mainly the Bengali-

speaking people from Bangladesh (Debbarma, 2009).

In 2011, Dhalai had population of 378,230 of which male and female were 194,544 and 183,686

respectively. In 2001 census, Dhalai had a population of 307,868 of which males were 159,095 and

remaining 148,773 were females.

PARAMETERS PARTICULARS

TOTAL POPULATION 378230

MALE POPULATION 194544

FEMALE POPULATION 183686

OVERALL LITERACY RATE (%) 85.72

MALE LITERACY RATE (%) 91.31

FEMALE LITERACY RATE (%) 79.79

FEMALE PER THOUSAND MALE 944

(Ref: DIARY 2018, GOVERNMENT OF TRIPURA)



Fig 3: Bar diagram of Male & Female population, Dhalai District

Fig 4: Pie chart of Male & Female population, Dhalai District

0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000 300000 350000 400000

TOTAL POPULATION

MALE POPULATION

FEMALE POPULATION

51%

49%

MALE POPULATION FEMALE POPULATION



Fig 5: Bar diagram of literacy rate, Dhalai District

Fig 6: Pie chart of literacy racy, Dhalai District

74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94

OVERALL LITERACY RATE (%)

MALE LITERACY RATE (%)

FEMALE LITERACY RATE (%)

MALE LITERACY RATE (%)

FEMALE LITERACY RATE (%)



i) CROPPING PATTERN

Most of the district is dependent on rain-fed farming although due to heavy rains in the monsoon and

rain in winter and summer makes sufficient supply of water. Irrigation ponds form another water

supply for agriculture.Horticultural plantations include banana, pineapple, mango, litchi, jackfruit,

papaya, betel nut, orange, lemon, and other fruit trees. North Eastern Regional Agricultural

Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) had Fruit Juice Concentration Plant (FJCP) at Nalkata

since 1988, but it's been inoperational since 2010. Several tea estates are in Manu, Chawmanu,

Salema and Durgachowmuhani blocks, with a tea processing unit at Salema.

Vegetables like tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, snake gourd, pumpkin, okra, corn, cucumber, beans,

potato, carrot, radish, bamboo shoot are grown in parts of the district. Spice cultivation includes chili

pepper, coriander, ginger, turmeric, tamarind, garlic, onion etc.

Paddy is the main component in all farming systems of Dhalai, as rice is a staple food for Tripureans.

The farmers follow a unique system of paddy cultivation in which they use „lunga‟ land, a low-land

condition surrounded by „tilla‟ lands (hillocks) for growing paddy. Under tilla land conditions, they

grow beans, cowpea, brinjal etc. during rainy season using field or household residues for nutrient

recycling in vegetable crops. Among the fruit crops, banana, papaya, citrus, mango, arecanut, litchi,

etc. occupy their backyards.

PARAMETERS AREA IN Hactare

GROSS CROPPED AREA 35753

NET CROPPED AREA 20216

AREA UNDER FOOD GRAIN 39207

AREA UNDER SRI 7542

(Ref: DIARY 2018, GOVERNMENT OF TRIPURA)

http://www.neramac.com/showpage.asp?id=102/





Fig 7: Bar diagram of cropping Pattern, Dhalai district

j) LAND FORM AND SEISMICITY

Physiographically, the district can be divided into two divisions- (1) The hill ranges, and (2) The valley /

plain areas. The Dhalai district is Earthquake prone Zone-V.

k) FLORA

The most important crops that are associated with this north-eastern state of India are paddy, pulses,

oilseeds, jute and different kinds of fruit and vegetables. (ref: mapsofindia.com)

The forests of Tripura are varied. On the basis of large-scale studies in other North-Eastern States,

Deb(1981) considered the classification of forest types suggested by Champion and Seth (1968) as

better suited for describing and correlating the forest types in India. Deb‟s description of the flora of

Tripura has been followed here.

Based on climate (also altitude and longitude), the forests of Tripura are treated under tropical forest

types. They are grouped and described as follows:

A. Climate Types

B. Seral types

C. Subsidiary Edaphic types

0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000

GROSS CROPPED AREA

NET CROPPED AREA

AREA UNDER FOOD GRAIN

AREA UNDER SRI

AREA IN Hactare

AREA IN Hactare



Bamboo brakes widely in character and aspect cover very large areas in Tripura as in Burma and

Chittagong. Continuous bamboo forests are interrupted with scattered evergreen treesor deciduous

secondary stands. Sheltered hollows and other favourable sites are dominated by bamboo. The vast

preponderance of bamboo forest may be the result of activity of man in his practice of shifting

favourable for bamboo growth. It is also possible that bamboo holds the ground as a primary edaphic

sub-climax.

(ref: biodiversity.tripura.gov.in/flora)



Map 5: Forest map of Dhalai District




4. PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE DISTRICT

The state of Tripura is known as „Hill Tipperah‟ due to its hilly nature of undulating surface made

uneven by inter-pressed low hills. Bottom RL of the terrain is 15m & top RL is 750m . The

physiography trends towards west. However, in some places the terrain is inaccessible and highly

undulating. The Ilinga (Longitudinal valleys) lands are juxtaposed in between the numerous tilla

(hillocks) lands that are fertile with agricultural lands. It is seen that almost the entire North and

Dhalai Districts are having high physiography. High physiography areas i.e. the Baramura and

Atharamura hill ranges are also observed in the West and South Districts. The Blocks of Chhamanu,

Oasda, Jampui Hill, Manu, Ambassa, Salema, Tulashikhar and part of Padmabil, Mandai, Bagafa,

Amarpur, Kila, Satchand, Hrishyamukh, Satchand, Rupaichara fall in the high physiographical zone.

Geology, climate, and geomorphological processes play a vitalrole in shaping the composition and

structure of the soil. The soil found in the hilly tracks of Dhalai district in particular ranges between

red lateritic soil and sandy loam to silty clay soil (Chatterjee, 1984). During the monsoon season due

to heavy downpours the soil found in the hills become moistened triggering landslides, moreover the

rainwater drains the humus and nutrient contents of the soil causing the soil significantly infertile.

Hence, the hill soils are less fertile in comparison to the valley soil and it is here that the small

communities practice shifting cultivation which had initially emerged as a response to the prevailing

geo-environmental and cultural factors but at present needs to be checked due to environmental

problems, also the growth of population, and modern lifestyle etc., is leading to smaller jhum cycles

resulting to increasing deforestation and associated problems.

The soil of the lowlands i.e. river valleys and at the foothills is composed mostly of alluvium rich in

humus content and ranges between sandy clay loam to clayey loam (Chatterjee, 1984 and Saigal,

1978). The soils of the lowlands are extremely fertile and are enriched almost annually by the

deposition from the hilly tracks which is transported by the rivers with their small tributaries

originating from the surrounding hills range (Saigal, 1978). This rich organic fertile alluvium soil

supports agriculture where paddy cultivation dominates. Thus, the Kamalpur Sub-division has the

largest area under food crops followed by the surrounding plains of Ambassa and Manu Sub-

division. The rubber plantation have come up in the foothills of Ambassa sub-division, Longtarai

valleysub-division and Kamalpur Sub-division as the agro-climatic and soil conditions for rubber

cultivation are ideal here.

The topography of Dhalai district comprises mostly of rugged terrain with some undulating surface.

About 75 percent of the district geographical areas are characterized by hilly terrain covered with



dense forests and only about 25 percent are plains (http://dhalai.nic.in/old/welcome.htm). Dhalai

district is situated between two hilly ranges namely the „Atharamura range‟ and the „Sakhan range‟.

Three hills range i.e. Atharamura, Longtarai and Sakhan range are found here Physiographically, the

district can be divided into two divisions- (1) The hill ranges, and (2) The valley / plain areas.



5. LAND USE PATTERN OF THE DISTRICT:

Maximum hilly areas in the state are situated under Dhalai district. Longtharai hill is the highest peak

of the district. Kalahari hill in Gandachara is famous for bamboo range in Tripura. Sakhantang in

Longtharai valley is beautiful hill range and covered with forest natural resources and also famous

for production of orange, pineapple etc. About more than 70 % of total area in the district is covered by

hill and forest. Though the district is having its natural resources, faourable climate , adequate and

well spread rain fall, unexploited human resources, vast watery areas, it is lagging far behind of the

state average due to its poor infrastructure, poor communication, poor irrigation and poor marketing

facilities.

PARAMETERS AREA (inHectare)

LAND UNDER NON AGRI. USE 13272

PERMANENT PASTURE& GRAZING LAND 1379

CULTIVABLE LAND 22382

IRRIGABLE LAND 10352

GROSS CROPPED AREA 35753

NET CROPPED AREA 20216

AREA UNDER FOOD GRAIN 39207

AREA UNDER SRI 7542

TOTAL FOREST AREA 131058

UNCLASSIFIED GOVERNMENT FOREST 4543

RESERVE FOREST 113553

PROTECTED FOREST 12962

(ref: Dhalai District Profile, 2016)



Fig 8: Bar diagram of Land use Pattern, Dhalai District

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

AREA in Hectare

AREA IN Hactare



Map 6: Land use map of Dhalai District




Map 7: Forest Classification Map, Dhalai District




6. GEOLOGY

As the study of geological structure is important for understanding the composition and structure of

rocks, which determine the characteristics of the topography, the drainage system, soils, mineral

resources etc., it becomes essential to have a brief understanding of the geology of Tripura in general

and the study area in particular.

Geologically the hill tracks of Tripura in general and Dhalai district in particular consists of Tertiary

rocks, which has been later covered by the alluvial deposits. The trend of the hill ranges is N-S.Beds

of this Hill ranges dip moderately towards west. The force of the tectonic movement has caused the

sub-stratum to raise up a number of parallel anticline ridges. This perhaps started during the

upliftment of the Himalayas during the Eocene period (Geological survey of India, 2011). Barail, Surma

and Tipam are the three sedimentary rock formations found here lying one above the other.

The Barail series are composed mainly of moderate hard fine grained and yellow to pink sand stones.

However, according to the Geological Survey of India the Barail group has not been exposed,

although the Barail sediment was deposited on the folded structure they were not uplifted.

The Surma Group overlies the Barail series and has two formations i.e. the lower Bhuban formation

(arenaceous assemblage) and the Upper Bokabil Formation (argillaceous assemblage).

The lower Bhuban Formation is further classified into three Formations i.e. the Lower Formation,

which is not exposed totally; the Middle Formation that is exposed partially as isolated small patches

in the hill ridges; and the Upper Formation that forms the bulk of lower Surma group. The formation

of Lower Surma Group is visible in the Sakhan and Longtarai ranges, as the north-south trending

anticlines. The Bhuban formation for most part consists of massive calcareous sandstones,

calcareous siltstones with yellow to buff coloured fine grained sandstone and limestone. The

prominent geomorphic unit on the slopes of Sakhan hills is the limestone bands formed due to

differential weathering process.

The upper Bokabil Formation overlies the Lower Bhuban Formation. This Formation mainly consists

of huge thickness of laminated siltstone, silty shale with narrow bands of sandstone, which are pale

brown in colour and are composed of numerous hard calcareous concretions and small broken

fossils.



The Tipam group overlies the Surma Group and the Bokabil Formation marks the boundary between

Tipam group. The boundary is marked by ribbed sandstone with minor thin siltstone bands. The

occurrence of this ribbed sandstone unit in the Tipam base indicates that changes have takenplacein

the depositional environment.

The mapping showed by Nandy (1973) and Chatterjee (1983) of the Tipam Group can be divided into

two Formations.The Lower Tipam formation consisting of a thick unit of fine to medium-grained

sandstones, subarkosic sandstones, siltstones and sandy mudstones having traces of brackish to

fresh water shallow marine facies. This is found in the Atharamura, the Longtarai and in the Sakhan

ranges of Dhalai district.The upper Tipam Formation does not exist in Dhalai district.

From the seismological point of view, the entire district falls under the earthquake zone V, which

points out that there is lack of stability in the arrangements of the rock stratum.

Different types of landforms like structural hills, denudation hill, inter-hill valley, undulating plains,

flood plains etc. are found in the study area. The whole study area is mainly composed of weathered

sandstone, shale, siltstone and alluvium. Most of the rivers are flowing parallel to sub-parallel with

hill ranges with dendritic drainage pattern. The district is drained by the river systems of Dhalai,

Manu, Gomati, Khowai and their tributaries which are perennial in nature. These river systems have

originated from Atharamura, Longtarai and Sakhantlang hill ranges. In general, drainage pattern is

structurally controlled and is in conformity with the topography

The geology of the district is represented by sedimentary rocks which ranged in age from Miocene

(918 million years old) to loosely consolidated sediments of Recent age (less than 1 million years old).

The rocks are sandstone, siltstone and shale grading into clay. The district is divided into eight

physiographic units viz. high relief, medium relief, low relief, flat topped denudational hills, residual

hills, alluvial plain, flood plain and undulating plains. Majority of the area of the district is

characterized by medium relief. The soils of the study area were classified as per USDA Soil

Taxonomy into four orders viz. Entisols, Inceptisols, Alfisols and Ultisols as per USDA Soil Taxonomy.

(Bhattacharya et al. 1996).

Structural scenario: Structurally the present study area bears a uncanny signature of different

deformational episodes accompanied by tectogenic events which ultimately resulted folding,

faulting, fractures and micro lineaments within the litho units.



Geological Succession of Dhalai river basin

Group Sub-Group Formation Rock type

Recent Recent (Unconformity)

Unconsolidated silt, and clay with decomposed vegetable matter and gravels

Dupi Tila Dupi Tila (Unconformity)

Sandy clays, clayey sandstone, ferruginous sandstone with pockets of plastic clay, silica and laterite.

Tipam Tipam Champanagar Sandstone, occasional sandy shale and abundant lumps of fossil wood

Manu Bazar Sandstone with laminated layers and lenses of sandy shale, siltstone and mudstone.

Surma (Contact transitional)

Boka Bill

Thinly bedded repetition of sandstone, siltstone/shale, mudstone and ferruginous sandstone.

Bhuban Hard compact sandstone, olive shale, sandy shale and siltstone repetitions



Local Stratigraphy succession of Dhalai river basin

Age Group Formation

Holocene Khowai Formation Ghilatoli Formation Teliamura Formation Kalyanpur

Formation

Quaternary Dupitila Dupitila Formation

Upper Pliocene to Pleistocene

Pliocene

Tipam Upper Tipam Formation

Lower Tipam Formation

Micocene- Lr. Pliocene

Upper most Oligocene

Surma Bokabil Formation

Upper Bhuban Formation

Middle Bhuban Formation

Lower Bhuban Formation (Not exposed in Tripura)



Map 8: Geological Map of Dhalai District




7. MINERAL WEALTH

Overview of mineral resources (covering all minerals)

The mineral resources of any state provide an avenue for economic development but the process of

mining may have extensive impact on land, soil and water resources. The mining projects have as a

consequence become a part of development sector requiring environmental clearance under

Environmental Protection Act, 1986, EIA Notification 1994.

Sands are defined as a concentration of naturally occurring weathered product on the river bed or

bank of the river and sands occur in such a form that its economic extraction is possible with ease. On

this parlance, the deposits of sands have high economic value.

In Tripura, the mineral resources are mainly glass sands, limestone, plastic clay and hard rock; all of

these material are being used to a variable degree. However, the single most important resource in

the state is oil and natural gas. ONGC or Oil and Natural Gas Commission has initiated massive

exploration programme in the State.

As for the other minerals, provides an account of locations, deposit, current uses, etc. Details of clay

deposit in Tripura has been dealt in the State of Environment Report for Tripura (1989). The impact of

mining and quarrying of mineral resources in Tripura has so far been insignificant.

Mineral Resource of Tripura

Mineral Location Uses Hard Rock Jampui Hills

Longatari Hill

Road metals

Limestone Sakhan&Jampui Range Manpui area (990,000 t. reserve)

Not suitable Cement Suitable for inferior quality of Lime Puzzolana mix.

Clay All over the State generally in river bank deposit Good clay deposit in West and South region. Total 1.73 million ton deposit in four zone out of six zones* [* Mohanpur-Bamutia-Kamalghat; Bisramganj-Bagma; Champamura-Baldakhal-Jogendranagar; Khowai-Teliamura-Ampi; Shantirbazar-Udaipur; Kumarghat and Baidyathakurpara- Anadanagar- Maheshkhola-Dukli-Sonamura area]

Sanitary ware Stone wares Sewerage pipes Electric insulator Refractory grade

Glass Sand Bishramganj (160,000t) Old Agartala (16,000t)

Many uses



Mineral Location Uses Jogendranagar (3627t) Sekerkota (80,000t) Dasharambari (5330t) Mohanpur (97,875t) Baidyathakurpara- Anadanagar Maheshkhola and Dukli (NA)

Total Reserve 3,62,832 tonnes

[Source: GSI Report 1982, 1999]

Of the total geographical area of Tripura, 76% can be marked as of “Tertiary” origin and 24%

belong to Quaternary period; none of these contain any major mineral resource. A GSI Report of

1982 provide a list of Non-metallic and metallic mineral vis-a-vis their location or otherwise in

Tripura (Table-14) indicating the poor profile.

Mineral Resource potential in Tripura

Sl. No. Mineral Status A. Non-metallic 1. Lime stone Commodity not located or absent

2. Dolomite Commodity not located or absent 3. Coal Commodity not located or absent

4. Clay Commodity not located or absent 5. Refractories Commodity not located or absent

6. Glass sand Good reserve, low grade 7. Graphite Commodity not located or absent

8. Fertilizer Commodity not located or absent 9. Gravel sand silt Good reserve, low grade

10. Building stone Commodity not located or absent B. Metallic

11. Ferrous Commodity not located or absent 12. Non-ferrous Commodity not located or absent

13. Noble metals Commodity not located or absent

[Source: GSI Report 1982]

The current production of natural gas in estimated at one million cubic meters per day. The

available figure for 1990-91 to 1997-98 shows a fast increasing rate of production from 70 million

tonnes per year in 1990-91 to 2.7x in 8 years reaching 196 million tonnes in 1997-98.



Sand and other river bed minerals

(i) Drainage System

a) Drainage system with description of main rivers/Cherras

S.NO Name of the River or

Stream

Total Length in the

District (in km.)

% Area drained

in the district

Remarks

1 Dhalai 40 100% Flow through

Ambassa-

Salama-

Kamalpur

2 Manu 30 100% Flow through

Manu block

3 Sarma 10 100% Flow through

Gandachhara

b) Salient features of important rivers and streams/cherras

S.NO Name of the River

or Stream

Total Length in the

District (in km)

Place of origin Altitude at origin

1 Dhalai 40 Dolajari peak of

Longatarai Range

515 m

2 Manu 30 Kohoisib peak of

Sakhan Range

482 m

ii) Annual deposition of river bed minerals

Evaluation based on following parameters:

a) Geomorphological studies

i) Place of origin: Dhalai river : Dolajari peak of Longatarai Range

Manu river: Kohoisib peak of Sakhan Range

ii) Catchment area: The whole river basin of Dhalai river in Indian part is located within the district of

Dhalai, Tripura having an area of 678.136 sq. km. and 23 subwatersheds. Wheras the basin area of

river Manu is around 1,979 sq. km. consisting of 19% total geographical region of the state.

iii) General profile of river:



River Dhalai has been originated from the Longtarai hill range, flowing towards north through the

two parallel structural hill ranges of Atharamura and Longtarai and entering into Bangladesh . The

basinal area of this river is located within the district of Dhalai, Tripura having an area of 678.136 sq.

km. Altitude of the basin ranges between 16 m to 498 m. Different types of landforms like structural

hills, denudation hill, inter-hill valley, undulating plains with low mouds and flood plains are found in

the study area.

Manu River in this districtrepresents the river reach from Tripura border to the confluence with

Kushiyara River in Manumukh, Sherpur and it lengths 69.88 km. It is also an alluvial and highly

sinuous river. Ten major bends have been selected in this study reach. The mean highest and lowest

water levels of Manu River are 18.88 m and 12.77 m respectively. It is a highly sinuous river with lots of

meander and lateral bank migration in it (Deb et al., 2012).

iv) Annual deposition factor

It depends on load carrying capacity of the flowing river along withthe competency and capacitance

of river. Provenenc of sediment, mode of transport, quantity of suspended load and bed load, rate of

sedimentation,settling velocity of sediments all together enhance the process of sedimentation

giving high yield value of sand.

v) Relenishment: Replenishment of the sand takes place during monsoon season every year.

vi) Total potential of minor minerals in river bed: 102857 tonnes of sand

b) Geological studies

i) Lithology of catchment area: Lithology comprising of sand, silt, clay, alluvium, sandstone, shell and

marshstone.

ii) Tectonics and structural behaviour of rocks: It is situated in seismicity prone zone V. Structurally

the area is highly deformed, different phases of folding presence; a series of sub parallel

arcuate, elongated, N-Strending doubly plunging fold. Anticlines are separated by synclines.

Environmental condition is this region is governed by local tectonic movement. Presence of fold,

fault.fractures and microlineament are observed.

c) Climatic factors

i. Intensity of rainfall: Average monsoon rainfall is 2220 mm.

ii. Climate zone: Tropical monsoon climate

iii. Temperature variation: Summer 16.9 ℃ -36 ℃, Winter 5 ℃ -28 ℃

Concluding Remarks



Mining of minor minerals, though individually, because of smaller size of mine leases is perceived to

have lesser impact as compared to mining of major minerals. However, the activity as a whole is seen

to have significant adverse impacts on environment. It is, therefore, necessary that the mining of

minor minerals is subjected to simpler but strict regulatory regime and carried out only under an

approved framework of mining plan, which should provide for reclamation and rehabilitation of the

mined out areas. Further, while granting mining leases by the respective State Governments

"location of any eco-fragile zone (s) within the impact zone of the proposed mining area, the linked

Rules/ Notifications governing such zones and the judicial pronouncements, if any, need be duly

noted. The Union Ministry of Mines along with Indian Bureau of Mines and respective State

Governments should therefore make necessary provisions in this regard under the Mines and

Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 and adopt model

Guideliness to be followed by all States (emphasis supplied)".



8. OVERVIEW OF MINING ACTIVITY IN THE DISTRICT

(a) General overview

Sand lifting/mining used to take place mainly from the river and few streams from the district for all

purposes. There are no sand mines or quarries in Dhalai except rivers and streams. The lifting of sand

was carried out from main rivers and its tributaries in the entire District. All illegal activities in regard

to sand mining in the Dhalai have been stopped till any decision received from the appropriate

authority.

(b) List of existing mining leases of the districts with location, area, period for each minor mineral.

Attached latter

(c ) Detail of production of sand and other minor minerals during last three years.

YEARS 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

MINERALS

NAME

SAND SAND SAND SAND

PRODUCTION

(in Cum.)

81483.297 83127.60 696513.319 63006.854



9. DETAILS OF REVENUE GENERATED FROM MINERAL SECTOR DURING LAST THREE YEARS.

YEARS 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

MINERAL

NAME

SAND SAND SAND SAND

REVENUE 3589183/- 3998035/- 3819372/- 3282526/-



10. TRANSPORT OR LOGISTIC SYSTEM Main transport facility in this district is NH 8 (NH 44). Beside this there are many other

district and pwd roads. The one and only rail line is Agartala- Dharmanagar connecting line.

Map 8: Transportation Map of Dhalai District




11. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report indicates prima facie availability of requisite area for sand mining and serves the purpose

of District Survey report (DSR) which includes "identification of areas of aggradations or deposition

where mining can be allowed; and identification of areas of erosion and proximity to infrastructural

structures and installations where mining should be prohibited and calculation of annual rate of

replenishment and allowing time for replenishment after mining in that area". The District Survey

Report (DSR) will contain mainly data published and endorsed by various departments and websites

about Geology of the area, Mineral wealth details of rivers, Details of Lease and Mining activity in the

District along with Sand mining and revenue of minerals. This report also contains details of Forest,

Rivers, Soil, Agriculture, Road, Transportation and climate etc.The main minor mineral of the district

i.e. sand will be replenished annually and available for excavation in the next post- monsoon season.

Additional areas may be further assessed on the basis of various ecological, environmental, social

consideration. It can be further studied as potential area for mining and revenue generation.

There is a gap of feeling which might be attributed to the factors of immediate benefit as the very

question of subsistence is involved particularly when the majority of the people in Tripura are below

poverty line. Exploitation and not extinction should be the way of life. If that be the case the forest

resources which are national wealth should be preserved in such a way that they are exploited and

not extinct. Else danger is inherent in expressing their displeasure. The signs of danger, are apparent

when we see erosion of soils due to indiscriminate felling of trees. There is uneven rainfall. Water

flows merry- go-round. It carries sands which turns into deposits causing heavy damage to fertile

lands which are going to be scarce particularly when the population is increasing in geometrical

progression.

Successful management of sand mining from river bed and river banks and from flood plains

involving exploitation, conservation and protection of resources for Tripura Govt.will be pivotal to its

economic growth and sustenance of the quality of the environment.

APPENDEX A

SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY

SUSTAINABLE SAND MAINING

1

Sl. No. STATE SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY


01

TRIPURA

1. While attempting to prepare a model Guideline/Policy for the State,.

2. For environmentally sustainable sand mining a strict and comprehensive sand mining policy need to be framed .

3. To ease the process of EC granting, SEIAA may have benches across the state with each bench having a SEAC under it. Time bound clearance with ease of access and grant.

4. Working cum Environment Management Plan has been Made mandatory. The mining activities are allowed after submission of environment clearance.

5. Compliance Report is mandatory every 6 Month. (ie July, Dec.) Every 2 Year's Revised Mining Plan submit are mandatory.

6. Mining should be done in accordance with an approved mining plan.

7. EC Should be valid for settlement Periode subject to ceiling of five years.

8. Sand mining operation has to carried out between 6 am to 7 PM.

9. River width are between 30 meter to 90 meter, so 10% width river can be restricted for mining activities from the river bank.

APPENDEX A

SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY


2

Sl. No. STATE SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY


01

TRIPURA

10. . Since the most of the main rivers of Tripura are of Perennial origin (i.e., water remains all through out the year) hand mining is not a suitable methodology. In this case, recovery of sands is not possible manually from river bed. To trigger the mining of sands & other minor minerals mechanised mining methods are to be adopted applying modern mining tools. Needless to say, in the case of river bed mining of perennial river, necessary arrangements for avoiding accidents/fatal are to be taken into account on priority basis: otherwise it may cause a huge loss of human property and the concerned mining project which ultimately will jeoperdise the economic viability of the entire project. So, mechanised mining may be allowed.

11. As per Guideline of SUSTAINABLE SAND MINNG GUIDELINE (Page No 85-92) Some State (Like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, UP etc.)allowed Some Mechanised/Semi-mechanised Mining Process.

DISTRICT SURVEY REPORT (DHALAI DISTRICT)

" To illustrate my meaning and intention more plainly,

I would compare the relationship existing between forestry

and agriculture to that which exists in ordinary life

between husband, dark, stern and strong, but protecting

and cherishing; agriculture, bland benignant and

bountiful, may, in my parable, be described as the wife.

Deprived of the aid and resources derived from the forest,

agriculture pines and languishes and becomes barren and

unfruitful"

G.K.B Indian Forester

XV-330, Sept. 1889

Documents

dhalai.pdf - DSTE Tripura