Bharat Gold Mines Limited
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Bharat Gold Mines Limited or in short BGML is a public sector undertaking of the government of India.
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[edit] Introduction
BGML is under the Department of Mines. It is primarily engaged in mining in its captive mines in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) [located in Karnataka] and Andhra Pradesh and production of gold in KGF. As a diversification measure, the Company also undertakes mine construction, shaft sinking, manufacture of mining machinery and other fabricated items for outside clients for which it has set up a Mine Construction and Engineering Division.
[edit] History
The current mines has a history of about 120 years, when the first mines were started by the British Raj and people from surrounding areas were brought as labourers to work in the mines. Thus the city of Kolar Gold Fields was born. But the actual mining of Gold itself goes back to many centuries, the Cholas of south India had small mining pits in the region.
[edit] Changing Hands
The Kolar Gold Mines were taken up for systematic exploitation by John Taylor & Sons in 1880. Then it went into the hands of the then Mysore state in 1947. The mines were handed over to the central Government in 1972 and BGML was formed. The company operates two mines in Mysore / Champion mine & Nundydroog mine.
[edit] Glory Days
BGML or popularly known as Kolar Mines was a major mine in India before it was closed in the year 2001. It is the largest and deepest gold mine in Asia. The mines was the first place in Asia to get electricity. It had a thriving population of Three Hundred thousand people at the peak of its production. The mines itself is spread over an area of seventeen square miles. The British Raj built a well planned city of Robertsonpet for the Non working populace of KGF. Water to the city was pumped from theBethamangala lake about 10 kilometers from the city.
[edit] Silicosis
After the beginning of large scale mining, the wokers started to suffer from various dieases. Silicosis is a progressive disease of the lung first identified and diagnosed in the workers of the Kolar Gold Mines. Silicosis is caused by inhalation of the fine silica dust from the mines over many years.
[edit] Closure
The mines was closed in the year 2001 as the profit from mining gold was lesser than the cost involved.
