Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Monday in its meeting at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Syed Dilawar Abbas called upon the government to gear up its efforts for the development of natural resources in the country and look for mechanised development of minerals.
The committee also directed the ministry to prepare an Alternate Energy Plan for the future and ensure effective use of available energy resources.
The committee members lauded the government decision to cap the development surcharge on petroleum.
The committee called upon the government to ensure that the petroleum development levy should be used for the development of natural resources.
It, however, suggested giving some relief to the consumer in the Sales Tax (ST) on petroleum products.
Regarding disparity in the increase in the prices of petrol kerosene and diesel, the committee was informed that the prices are adjusted upward and downward in accordance with the increase or decrease in the prices of petroleum products in the international market.
The committee was also given a detailed briefing on the working and performance of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) by Brigadier M. Khalid Sajjad Khokhar MD PMDC.
The committee was informed that three PMDC coal mines at Degari, Sor- Range, Sharigh were located in Balochistan and the fourth located at Lakhra, Sindh whereas its salt mines located at Kalabagh, Khewra, Warcha were in Punjab and Jatta Bahadur Khel was in NWFP.
The committee was informed that the production and sale of coal and salt were gradually increasing and the target of current year was 431,000 and 751,000 tonnes respectively.
The committee was informed that corporation had completed 26 mineral exploration and development projects in all the four provinces of Pakistan, Northern Areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and that many of those projects were being successfully operated by the provincial public sector organisations and the private sector.
It was further told that a tourist resort development projects was launched in Feb, 2002 to convert Khewra salts mines into a tourist resort of international standard and as a result of the development activities carried out by PMPC, the flow of tourist has increased to over 125,000 per year.
The members were happy to learn that corporation is setting up an Asthma Clinic at Khewra. The committee called upon the PMDC to look for new opportunities for development of mines.
Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Amanullah Khan Jadoon informed the Committee that government was laying emphasis on the development of mineral resources.
The minister said that gold and other precious metals existed in Northern Areas and efforts were being made to find out ways and means to make the gold exploration project viable.
The meeting was also attended, besides others, by Mir Mohammad Naseer Mengal Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources and Senators Dibi Yasmeen Shah, Mrs Rukhsana Zuberi, Saeed Ahmad Hashmi and Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad, Senator officers of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and PMDC.