Rangpur, July 20 -- Exploration activities have officially resumed at the country's first potential iron ore deposit in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur, six decades after it was first identified.

Mohammad Saiful Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, inaugurated the resumption activities at Velamari Pathar in Chhota Paharpur village under Sanerhat Union recently.

According to officials, the site was first identified in 1965 by the then Pakistan government's Mineral Resources Department. Four exploratory wells were drilled in the Velamari Pathar area, covering parts of Shanerhat and Mithipur unions, and the wellheads were sealed with concrete markers, some of which remain visible.

Officials said a team of ge...