Shimla, July 30 (IANS) India’s public sector National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) has got permission to mine steel-grade limestone in Himachal Pradesh, a state government official said Wednesday. The firm will invest over Rs.5 billion for the project. The state government has given the green light to NMDC to extract limestone in the Arki region of Solan district, S.C. Negi, principal secretary of the state government’s industry department, told IANS.

This will be one of the biggest mining projects in the state with an investment of more than Rs.5 billion.

The state government will get an annual royalty of Rs.110 million and NMDC will generate direct and indirect employment for more than 5,000 people.

NMDC has already reached an agreement with cement maker Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd (GACL) to supply limestone to its cement plant at Suli village near Darlaghat in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh.

The limestone will be transported from the quarries to the GACL plant through a 10-km-long overhead ropeway. For this, NMDC has agreed to install the necessary equipment.

The public sector minerals company is also looking for other buyers, especially steel plants, as the limestone to be extracted is also a vital raw material for making steel.