Leaseholders of mines want issues addressed

MANSEHRA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati on Sunday said the government was taking measures to showcase minerals for sale within the country and abroad to generate employment opportunities for the people.

“Hazara Division and rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rich in natural resources and the government wants to utilise its minerals potential to earn revenue and generate employment opportunities for local workers,” he said while speaking at a meeting attended by mines leaseholders and contractors from parts of province here at New Circuit house.

The speaker urged landowners and leaseholders to utilise modern and scientific techniques to explore and excavate minerals as most of them were still using outdated methods which were polluting the environment and destroying natural treasures.

“This is unfortunate that the government has granted as many as 3,900 leases throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but hardly 600 of them are under exploring and excavation process,” he said.

Swati assured leaseholders and landowners to take up their problems and issues with the chief minister for their early redressal.Speaking on the occasion Sherbandi Khan said the government had enhanced mines royalty from 200 per cent to 1,300 per cent.

“Such and other issues confronted by us in the province are hurdles in our ways to take our business forward and most of us are quitting this business,” he said.Sherbandi Khan said if the government addressed their issues, the target of royalty set by it in the next financial year’s budget would also be achieved.

“We have been facing enormous challenges in showcasing our products within the country even as the royalty ratio in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan is much less than that of ours and investors prefer to pick material from markets on cheaper rates,” he said.