Raipur, Feb 22 (IANS) Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government Thursday strongly rejected opposition claim of "illegal mining of columbite, an atomic ore" in the Maoist-hit district of Dantewada as well as its smuggling.

"The government has intensified patrolling and is taking all measures with the Atomic Energy Department to ensure that columbite ore, an atomic mineral, is not illegally excavated and smuggled," Chief Minister Raman Singh told the state assembly during a calling attention motion.

He said that the ore is found in selected areas of Dantewada in Bastar region and the Atomic Energy Department of the central government holds exclusive rights to purchase it from anyone possessed the mineral.

"Columbite is mostly found with tin and was separated during the tin melting process. But it is also found separately and my government is taking all measures to prevent the possibility of its illegal mining and smuggling, although it is the right of the Atomic Energy Department to look into the matter," Singh told the assembly when Leader of Opposition, Mahendra Karma, sought his comments on the issue.

Karma asked the government to step up patrolling in Dantewada and tackle the illegal mining with utmost seriousness, saying that vested interests could try and grab the ore.

The calling attention motion on the issue was tabled by Nobel Verma, the lone Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator in the 90-member assembly.

The chief minister said the Atomic Energy Department was conducting a survey in Bastar region to locate columbite reserves.

Indo-Asian News Service