Untapped mineral resources to be explored

Nimal Wijesinghe - Anuradhapura Additional District group corr

The government will develop the country's mineral resources industry by exploring available resources which are yet to be unearthed or not being fruitfully utilized in the form of value added products, sources said.

A research by an Australian firm revealed significant mineral sand deposits in the North Western coastal belt around Puttalam.

The estimated amount is about 1.08 billion tonnes of sand with seven to eight percent heavy minerals, mainly consisting of Ilmenite.