800 tonnes and counting...

When the entire nation celebrated Independence, the mood was rather different in Kolar Gold Fields on August 15, 1947. The British left KGF only in 1956. "We got Independence from British rule only in 1956," recalls retired schoolteacher P Abel.
Though gold extraction goes back about 2,000 years, organized mining started only in 1880 by John Taylor & Sons.KGF mines have been developed to a depth of 3.24km with 1,400km access tunnels for ore exploitation.
The British government found gold reserves in the 80-km Kolar Schist Belt that extends from Kuppam to Srinivasapura. In 1999-2000, the Geological Survey of India reported that only 8km of reserves, mainly concentrated in KGF, had been exploited for over 120 years and the remaining 72km remains unexplored.
"The GSI survey and reports of the British government explain that 72km of gold reserves are yet to be explored. For 121 years, only 8km was exploited. Gold mining can continue for another 100 years," said K Anbalzhagan, former trade Union leader of Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML).
The company was made a public sector undertaking in 1972 and named Bharat Gold Mines Limited, fully controlled by the government of India. KGF has produced 800 tonnes of gold over 121 years.