Hyderabad, Aug. 29 -- Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), a public sector coal mining company owned by the Telangana government, has moved towards diversifying into gold and copper mineral exploration in Karnataka's Devadurga block. Telangana deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who visited the Devadurga gold-copper block in Raichur district on Friday, directed the Singareni officials to expedite exploration activities and use advanced technologies to assess the quantity and quality of the deposits. SCCL secured the exploration rights for the Devadurga block through an auction conducted by the Centre. On Thursday, Vikramarka formally launched SCCL's gold and copper exploration programme at Lingadahalli village in Devadurga taluk. He inspected the identified exploration areas and reviewed the plans prepared by officials. He also visited an exhibition of mineral samples collected from the block and sought details about the proposed exploration and extraction. "Given the block's proximity to Hutti Gold Mines, a Karnataka government undertaking, there is a considerable scope for leveraging the expertise of the neighbouring state with decades of experience in gold exploration, mining, processing and refining," Vikramarka, who holds the finance and energy portfolios, told reporters. During his second-day visit to Karnataka's gold-mining areas on Friday, the deputy chief minister inspected the Hutti and UT gold mines in Raichur district and studied the entire process, from extraction of gold-bearing ore to the production of refined gold....