SRINAGAR: The operation of ancestrally occupied stone quarries at Saderkoot cannot be permitted under the existing arrangement as the mineral extracted from the area has been classified as limestone, a major mineral that can be extracted only through auction, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has told the Legislative Assembly.
The Mining Department said physical verification established that the limestone contains calcium oxide (CaO) above the prescribed minimum threshold of 34 per cent and magnesium oxide (MgO) within the maximum permissible limit of 5 per cent notified by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Government of India.
The classification was made in accordance with IBM Notification No. C-284/3/CMG/2017 dated April 25, 2018, placing the mineral in the category of a major mineral.
The Government was responding to Starred Question D.No. 1/6/319 tabled by Sonawari MLA Hilal Akbar Lone, who sought to know whether the ban on stone quarrying at Saderkoot would be lifted and, if so, when.
The department said a committee had been constituted to comprehensively reassess the limestone-bearing ancestral quarries, including their mineral and grade classification and end-use potential.
Following field inspections, the committee analysed 25 representative samples and found an average CaO content of approximately 49.34 per cent. The samples also showed silica (SiO₂) and magnesium oxide (MgO) levels within the prescribed limits for cement-grade limestone.
According to the Government, the findings establish that the limestone deposits in the Saderkote Bala area are high-grade and suitable for cement manufacturing as well as other industrial applications requiring high-calcium limestone.
The department’s reply, signed by the In-charge Minister, Mining Department, was dated September 21, 2026.
