Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
By : Samriti Sharma
Punjab Mining Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Thursday informed the Punjab Assembly that the state possesses significant reserves of critical minerals, including potash and gold, and said previous governments failed to act on earlier geological findings.
Responding to remarks made by BJP leader Ashwani Sharma during a discussion in the House, Goyal said that a Central Government survey conducted during the previous regime had ranked Punjab first in mining performance and the state had received an appreciation award worth ₹200 crore.
Minister said potash deposits were first identified in Punjab in 1989, particularly in Sri Muktsar Sahib and Fazilka districts. He named Kabarwala, Sherewala, Ramsara, Shergarh and Dalmir Khera as the major blocks where the deposits have been located. According to him, the reserves lie at a depth of around 450 metres below the ground.
Goyal said that after the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power, he visited Odisha and Gujarat to hold discussions on the issue and also raised the matter with the Union Minister concerned. He described potash as a critical mineral that is rarely found in India and questioned why no substantial action had been taken earlier despite its presence in Punjab.
He added that the Centre has now approved ₹19 crore for further exploration work, and drilling operations are currently underway at 10 locations across the state.
Minister also claimed that gold deposits had been reported in Punjab based on surveys conducted during 1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92 and 1993–94. Citing reports of the Geological Survey of India, he said analytical results had indicated gold values of up to 0.8 grams in certain samples.
According to Goyal, higher concentrations of gold were reported along stretches of the Siswan River (3 km) and the Budki River (8 km). He alleged that despite these findings, neither the state nor the Central Government paid adequate attention to the potential gold reserves.
Goyal addressed concerns regarding the Bhakra Dam
During the discussion, the minister also addressed concerns regarding the Bhakra Dam after media reports suggested that the structure had tilted. Goyal dismissed the reports as misleading and incorrect, saying they had unnecessarily caused anxiety among the public.
He explained that according to media reports dam was designed in a manner that allows minor structural movement under water pressure, and that such movement has been recorded 15 times between 1995 and 2025. As the water pressure decreases, the structure returns to its original position. This is not true, he said.
Calling Bhakra one of the finest dams associated with Punjab, Goyal said teams from countries such as the United States and Canada had also appreciated its engineering design, and he reiterated that claims about the dam having dangerously tilted were completely false.
