Focus on to facilitate investors: KP CM

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: In order to develop the mines and minerals development sector on modern lines, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided in principle to establish an international standard Mineral Development & Management Company in the province. The decision was made in a meeting of Mines and Mineral Development Department, held here at Chief Minister’s House the other day with Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair.

Provincial Minister for Law, Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Industries, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries and Administrative Secretaries of relevant provincial departments attended the meeting. The chair directed the authorities concerned to complete all the required homework to this effect in minimum possible time and table the matter to the provincial cabinet for formal approval. The proposed company once established, will facilitate effective and efficient use of mineral resources and attract national and foreign investment, thereby ensuring multifold increase in the annual income of the sector.

It will also help simplify the long and complicated investment process, and facilitate the investors. The meeting has further decided to make regulatory mechanism more effective with the purpose to ensure better management of the mineral resources; necessary amendments in the relevant legal framework would be made for this purpose.

Various initiatives, proposed for introducing modern mechanical mining were also discussed in the meeting. The chief minister said that mechanical mining mechanism is much needed, because the conventional and old method of mining causes wastage to valuable mineral resources of the province. He has directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps for introducing mechanical mining mechanism across the province so as to ensure full advantage of available mineral resources.

It was also decided that stern action would be taken against illegal mining activities in the province and authorities were directed to immediately initiate process for establishing specific mining police for this purpose. The chief minister further directed them to take result-oriented steps against illegal mining activities on river beds.

Similarly, he said that all the companies working in the mineral sector should be bound to install their processing plants within the province. Ali Amin Khan Gandapur maintained that work on the installation of CCTV Cameras for monitoring mineral leases in the province should be geared up, adding that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was replete with precious mineral resources; incumbent provincial government will take all possible steps to ensure that these resources are utilized in an effective manner.

He also ordered for ease of doing business to attract foreign investment, and added that it is also the priority of provincial government to ensure utilization of available natural resources in an effective and useful manner, thereby enhancing income generation of the province.

We need an efficient assets management system to achieve this purpose, he directed and said that the provincial government would extend its all-out support for strengthening productive sectors of the province. The meeting also decided to establish Gems and jewelry City in Peshawar, which would have a state of the art laboratory and other allied facilities.