Kolkata/Sonbhadra (UP): The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Saturday said there has been no discovery of gold deposits estimated to be around 3,000 tonnes in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, as claimed by a district mining official.

"Such data was not given by anybody from GSI.... GSI has not estimated such kind of vast resource of gold deposits in Sonbhadra district," GSI Director General (DG) M Sridhar told PTI in Kolkata this evening.

"We share our findings regarding any resources of ore after conducting survey with the state units.... We (GSI, Northern Region) had carried out work in that region in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. The report was shared with UP DGM for information and further necessary action," he said.

The exploration works of the GSI for gold was not satisfactory and the results were not encouraging to come up with major resources for gold in Sonbhadra district, he added.

Sonbhadra district mining officer K K Rai had said on Friday that the gold deposits were found in Son Pahadi and Hardi areas of the district.

The deposits in Son Pahadi are estimated to be around 2,943.26 tonnes, while that at Hardi block are around 646.16 kilogram, the official said.

Rejecting the claim, Sridhar said that in its report after exploration in the district "the GSI has estimated a probable category resource of 52,806.25 tonnes of ore with 3.03 grams per tonne gold (average grade) for a strike length of 170m in Sub- Block-H, Son Pahadi of Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh".

"The mineralised zone having an average grade of 3.03 grams per tonne of gold is tentative in nature and the total gold which can be extracted from the total resource of 52,806.25 tonnes of ore is approximately 160 kg and not 3,350 tonnes as mentioned in the media," the DG clarified.

The GSI is headquartered in Kolkata.

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Karimnagar (Telangana) (PTI): Four farmers died, and three others were injured after tin-roofed sheds and dilapidated structures collapsed in two separate incidents in Mancherial district of Telangana, officials said on Wednesday.

The incidents occurred in two villages of Luxettipet mandal late on Tuesday night, when the farmers were taking shelter in the structures following heavy rain and strong winds.

According to officials, two people died when a shed caved in at Kothuru village.

In a separate incident in Gampalapalli village, two more persons died after another structure collapsed, police and district authorities said.

The three injured were shifted to a hospital in Karimnagar for treatment, police said.

Preliminary reports indicate that unseasonal rains accompanied by strong winds weakened the structures, leading to the collapses.

Authorities are assessing the situation, and further investigation is underway.