The government will set up another marble city in Fata under Public-Private Sector arrangement apart from the already planned city in Mohmand Agency. The Marble City will be spread over 300 acres and will be equipped with the most modern infrastructure.
Minister for industries Jahangir Khan Tareen stated this during a meeting with a delegation from Mohamand Agency. Secretary Industries, Production and Special Initiatives Shahab Khawaja and CEO Pakistan Stone Development Company Ishan Ullah Khan were also present. The delegation comprised of Malik Hanif, Malik Noor Hashim and others.
Marble from the agency is exported to Afghanistan and some other countries through Karachi. White, green and red marble of the agency is very famous throughout the world.
The marble industry at the tribal belt of NWFP is facing some problems. The major problems are lack of proper roads for transportation and frequent power outages.
There are huge deposits of marble in these agencies. So far, only 10 percent of them have been explored. Hence extensive exploration is needed to utilise maximum potential. The delegation informed the minister that there were 65 units of marble in the area, but no facilities have been provided to them.-PR