FRESH geological modelling at the Bhalukona nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) prospect in Mahasamund district has indicated mineralisation exceeding four million tonnes, marking a significant advance in Chhattisgarh’s exploration of strategically important minerals. Deccan Gold Mines Limited (DGML), which availed geological documentation and drillcore imagery to The Hitavada, has estimated an average grade of approximately 0.24 per cent nickel equivalent, incorporating weighted contributions from nickel, copper, platinum and palladium. The preliminary model covers only 300 to 350 metres of an identified 1.3-kilometre mineralised corridor.

 

The assessment follows DGML’s announcement of nick- el-copper-PGE sulphide min- eralisation in May. By early June, nine boreholes totalling approximately 1,200 metres had established mineralisation along a 430-metre strike length and beyond 200 metres in depth. The expanded programme comprises 15 diamond-core boreholes spanning 2,773 metres. According to the company’s geological interpretation, a layered mafic-ultramafic formation hosts a mineralised corridor exceeding 100 metres in width, extending approximately 1.3 kilometres and reaching depths beyond 200 metres. Drill cores show disseminated and locally heavyto-massive sulphides, principally pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite, associated with nickel, copper, palladium and localised platinum.

 

Borehole labels such as BJD01 and BJD-02 identify individual drilling locations and their recovered cores, which is notably, the prefix BJD appears to refer to Bhalukona-Jamnidih, although DGML’s supplied description does not expressly expand the code. Drone magnetic and induced polarisation surveys suggest possible repetitions of the mineral-bearing sequence. Such geophysical indications provide targets for further drilling, but do not independently establish additional mineralised tonnage. The Bhalukona-Jamnidih block extends across approximately 30 square kilometres in Basna tehsil. The Chhattisgarh Government executed a composite licence in DGML’s favour on April 1, 2025. Investigations have included Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), electrical resistivity tomography, geological mapping, rockchip and channel sampling, besides bulk sampling for beneficiation studies. DGML Managing Director Dr Hanuma Prasad Modali described the findings as an encouraging step towards strengthening domestic critical-mineral supply chains.

 

“India’s resource security will depend on our ability to discover and responsibly develop strategic mineral resources at home,” he said in the company’s statement. The four-million-tonne figure represents a preliminary geological estimate, not a formally established mineral resource or reserve. Similarly, the nickel-equivalent grade is not, by itself, evidence of commercial viability. Mineral continuity, metallurgical recovery, processing performance and economic feasibility must be assessed through further technical work. The distinction matters because exploration-stage tonnage estimates depend on geological assumptions that require testing against systematic additional boreholes, laboratory assays and three-dimensional modelling. A larger interpreted corridor offers scope for investigation, but cannot be treated as a proportionate increase in mineral inventory without supporting evidence. According to DGML Managing Director Dr Hanuma Prasad Modali, further geological evaluation and exploration will focus on establishing the extent and continuity of mineralisation, particularly across the approximately three-fourths of the identified corridor remaining outside the preliminary model. “The company’s proposed investigations are expected to refine geological interpretations and assess the prospect’s resource potential through additional drilling and technical validation. For DGML, the immediate priority remains translating encouraging exploration results into a scientifically defensible assessment of the deposit, while the prospect’s commercial viability awaits further investigation,” he maintained.