The first-ever mines rescue/safety and labour welfare centre will be operational shortly to provide prompt rescue and safety facilities to the miners in the time of accident and disaster. "The centre would be established at Darwazai in Orakzai Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata) and would cost Rs 18.874 million," Director Mineral Yaqub Shah told Business Recorder on Tuesday. He said that provincial governor Khalil-ur-Rehman has desired proper regulation of the mines in the tribal belt to provide prompt rescue and safety facilities to the miners at the times of accident and disaster.
For this purpose, he said, the Governor's Secretariat Fata was establishing a mine rescue/safety and labour welfare centre at Darwazai in the Orakzai Agency. Engineer Fazal Rabbi will head the centre. The centre would have to arrange training and refresher courses for miners employed by individual mine owners. It would also arrange periodical exercises in the mines to guide workers in accordance with the changing conditions with the advancement of underground workings. It would hold tests of competency in rescue operations and would certify miners, timber-man, shot firers, machine operators and mine surveyors etc.
As the NWFP in general and tribal area in particular is notorious for using century-old outdated methods of mine exploration, the centre would help develop mines on scientific methods, increase in productivity of mines and government revenues, conservation of mineral resources and protection of environment, socio-economic uplift of the tribesmen, betterment of health and working conditions of miners and labourers.
In reply to a question, Director Mineral Fata Governor's Secretariat said that the site had already been selected, staff recruited and fund for the purchase of vehicles have also been released to make the centre operational as soon as possible. He said that the rescue equipment for the centre are being imported from Germany. More than 8,000 people are working both inside and outside the coal mines and the centre would provide them help in any kind of emergency.
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