Provincial Minister for Mines and Minerals Ch. Sher Ali Khan has said that Punjab Government, under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Punjab is fully committed to develop its metallic and industrial mineral resources as Punjab is blessed with abundant natural resources along with vast mineral potential. With the view to attract huge foreign investment in Mines Sector, capacity building and reshape institutional regulatory and business mode, Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has decided infrastructural development in mining sector ensuring safety, health and welfare of mine workers.
He said that while addressing a Consultative Workshop held here for restructuring of the department. ACS Energy Jahanzeb Khan, MPA Nazar Hussain Gondal, Secretary Mines and Mineral Dr. Arshad Mahmood, Chairman Pakistan Mines Owner’s Association Dr. M. Khalid Pervaiz, Chairman Geographical Engineering Department Dr. Muhammad Zubair, Research Scholars, representatives of Chemical and Cement Industries, Bankers, Academia and Mines workers attended the workshop and gave their suggestions for this purpose. Minister Mines and Minerals Ch. Sher Ali Khan said that Punjab has the world’s largest rock salt deposits, 35 minerals are under excavation including coal, lime stone, gypsum by 2300 entrepreneurs while 56 industrial leases under large corporations and multinationals for industrial production of cement, soda ash, caustic soda, fertilizers, glass, ceramics and marble. He said that the purpose of the workshop was to get valuable proposals from all the stakeholders for institutional restructuring process, strengthening its legal & regulatory framework, promoting marketing of minerals and investment-friendly culture.
Minister Mines and Minerals said that Chief Minister Punjab has desired to promote vast investment in Mining and introduce ultra modern mining technologies. The idea behind restructuring is to prepare and present a holistic plan for smooth transition from the current department mode to the company and authority mode in the Mines & Mineral Sector with a view to give it a modern, market & investment friendly along with research & development oriented outlook. Recommendations were shared in the workshop for readjustment and reorientation of technical and non-technical human resource with a special focus on capacity building and maximizing output, ensure reinforcing vertical and horizontal linkage within the sectors and allied sectors with a view to attract foreign investment in mineral extraction and development along with improving and modernizing mining practices. The participants proposed actionable mechanism to strengthen regulatory framework for curbing monopolistic tendencies, lease management and ensuring healthy and safe mining environment including miners’ welfare.
Secretary Mines and Minerals Dr. Arshad Mahmood while addressing the workshop said that capacity based HR augmentation is the need of the hour and after exploration of iron and copper ore worth trillion of rupees from Chiniot Rajwa reservoirs and extraction of coal to make functional Coal Power Plants to meet the present energy crisis in Punjab, modernization of Mining Sector has become need of the hour. He said that Punjab Government has started exploration of Mines from South Punjab areas and Punjab Energy Holding Company has also been established to promote mining business. ACS Energy Jahanzeb Khan said that minerals are our prestigious assets and government of the Punjab is utilizing its all resources to modernize its mining system to enhance investment in this sector in view of economic growth. He said that rights of people related to Mines business and Mines worker safety should also be given top priority in restructuring process. Chairman Mines Owner’s Association, representatives of Mines workers, industrialists, Academia, Mines Experts and Research Scholars expressed their views in the workshop for the betterment of the department.
