A meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Standing Committee on Department of Minerals was held here with chairman, MPA Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotah in the Conference Room of the provincial assembly here Monday.
Besides, Provincial Minister for Minerals, Ziaullah Afridi, MPAs Sardar Hussain Babak, Shaukat Ali Yusufzai, Mufti Said Janan, Mufti Fazal Ghafoor and Sardar Farid Ahmad Khan, Secretary, Minerals, Mian Waheeduddin, Director General (DG), Dr Liaquat Ali, Commissioner (Mines) Engineer Ziarat Khan, Additional Secretary Assembly, Ghulam Sarwar, Assistant Secretary Assembly, Inamullah Khan, the officials of the department of law and AG Offices and other concerned authorities attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the committee reviewed in detail the questions of Mufti Said Janan and Mufti Fazal Ghafoor that were referred to the standing committee and after thorough discussion reviewed different proposals. The meeting expressed concern over the procedure of the auction and cancellation of the emerald mines in districts Swat and Shangla and got briefing regarding the losses of the provincial government in this regard.
The department told the committee that in head of both mines, the down payment and other payments to the leasers have been withheld and government had borne no loss. During the meeting, Mufti Said Janan expressed reservations and concerns over the replies provided by the department on which the chairman directed the presentation of complete record and blacklisting of those responsible for the submission of application for the cancellation of auction, so the committee should know about the auction and several time cancellations of the auction.
The meeting also discussed in details matters relating to the welfare life insurance of labourers, constitution of Mining Labour Organisation, provision of install based heavy machinery, lack of interest in the precious stone reserves, prevention of the polluting of water springs in marble producing areas, irregularities in education sector scholarships, excise duty, royalty, welfare of labour, increase in welfare funds in proportion to revenue, construction of RRC Road, construction of buildings for dispensaries, highhandedness of lease holders, simplification of scholarships for the children of labourers, construction of explosion affected houses and others.
The committee in this regard expressed dissatisfaction and criticised the department on the provision of some documentary details and stressed for not only the inclusion of the recommendations of the members in mineral reforms committee, but also the adoption of an effective and solid manner, so the province would earn further revenue in head of minerals and provision of maximum benefit to labourers.
On this occasion, the Provincial Minister for Minerals, Ziaullah Afridi clarified that the present government has prepared policy in this regard and in next few days also bringing mineral reforms under which not only solution to all these problems would be made possible, rather would usher a revolution in this sector and mineral sector would play more crucial role in the development of the province.
During the meeting, the chairman, committee with the consensus of the members directed the detailed briefing on mineral reforms and inviting of all parliamentary leaders in the next meeting of the committee concerned to include all possible proposals of the members in the mineral reforms and purge it of all kind of lacunas.
During the meeting, the department clarified that presently an amount of Rs 500 million is available in the head of welfare, whose utilisation can help maximum overcoming on the problems of the labourers. In this connection, it would take concrete steps soon.
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