The Hindu Business Line : A rocky, solid gift from nature

Have you ever crushed a piece of rock to powder using your fists? Perhaps no. But, wait, you need not be a heavyweight champion to do that, at least with the rocks at Orvakal rock formations near Kurnool.

Thanks to a Rs 50-lakh rock park developed by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) near the village, tourists can even trek along the serpentine hill formations here.

But these formations, which have been attracting huge crowds from all over the State, are facing some serious threats that might even threaten the geological legacy.

Fully weathered

These formations, geologically called `fully weathered' rocks, are very rich in silica (silicon dioxide) and quartz and offered a great promise for the glass industry. These formations run through several km in the district.

"You crush them and you get equi granular particles. It is a gift of the nature," a Mining Department official told Business Line.

Identifying the grandeur of these formations at Orvakal, the APTDC has approached the Government and secured 203 acres, which includes two hillocks and a lake in between.

The project includes a cave museum, landscaping, boating, and a restaurant. On an average, 100 tourists visit the site every day.

(Interestingly, this important destination doesn't find a mention in the AP Tourism Web site.)

Abundant silica content has automatically attracted companies to mine and make a variety of glass products, including glassy, semi-glassy and opaque products.

Some companies, including a glass major, reportedly approached the Government for obtaining a mining licence.

This might spell doom for the geological legacy that the district inherited, according to some local people. But others said that tapping these resources could trigger economic activity in the district, which is fraught with factional violence.

Allowing film shoots at the park site too would damage the natural setting, a visitor from Guntur said, pointing at the remains of plaster of Paris material left out by a top film production company.

More Stories on : Mining & Quarrying | Andhra Pradesh

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