Kolar Gold Fields (KGF)

About Kolar Gold Fields (KGF):

• KGF (once known as ‘Little England’) is a mining area in the Kolar District of Karnataka, 100 km from Bengaluru.
• It is estimated that gold has been mined in KFG for over 2000 years.
• KGF’s modern success is generally attributed to the firm John Taylor & Sons, after John Taylor III took control of the mines in 1880andestablished what was at one time the deepest and most productive gold mine in the world.
• KGF was the first Indian city to be electrified in 1902.
• At its peak, KGF was home to 30000 mine workers and their families and was a multiethnic community with experienced miners recruited from around the world.
• The mines were run by the company up until 1956, when they were taken over by theGovernment of Mysore, who employed John Taylor & Sons as mining consultants.

Although the annual production in some years was more than 95 percent of India’sgold output, the mines declined and finally closed in 2001.

Q1: What are Tailings?

Tailings are the waste materials left after the target mineral is extracted from ore. They consist of Crushed rock, Water, Trace quantities of metals such as copper, mercury, cadmium, zinc, etc., and additives used in processing, such as petroleum byproducts, sulfuric acid and cyanide.

Source: State clears Centre’s proposal on reviving gold mining at KGF