Poor labourer strikes it rich with diamond haul in Panna mine

Bhopal: Raju Gond, a poor tribal labourer, was excavating a piece of land in Krishna Kalyanpur, on the outskirts of Panna, that he had taken on lease from the Madhya Pradesh mining department two months ago.

But something unusual happened on Wednesday morning when he stumbled upon a semi-shiny rock covered with earth. He knew it was not a simple rock as he had been excavating the Panna soil for over 10 years. It was a 19.22 carat diamond, worth between Rs 80 lakh and
Rs 1 crore!

The Ahirgunwa resident, who is also a part-time tractor driver, had been mining small patches of land he took on lease during the monsoon season, when there is not much work, for the past 10 years.

Precious rock

Raju, accompanied by his father, Chunwada Gond, and brother, has now deposited the precious rock at the state mining office in the joint collectorate of Panna.

The office will now auction this diamond, said Anupam Singh, an official of the Panna diamond office.

District collector Suresh Kumar said as is the usual practice, the gemstone would be put up for open bidding at the next diamond auction and the proceeds would be given to the labourer, after the state deducts government royalty and taxes.

He said this was the largest diamond found in Panna shallow mines this year and would undoubtedly be a centre of attraction at the auction.

“I will buy farmland, spend on my children’s education, and most importantly, pay off the Rs 4-lakh debt after getting the royalty,” Raju said.

The Panna district in the state’s Bundelkhand region is estimated to have diamond reserves of 12 lakh carats. The central government-owned National Mineral Development Corporation has a fully mechanised set-up in Panna, the only such diamond mine in the country.

Besides, the state mining department also offers small tracts of land on lease for excavation to private parties or individuals.