Master plan for sustainable development of mineral sector initiated.

LAHORE -- The Mines and Minerals Department has initiated a master plan to switch over from the traditional regulatory mode to a more facilitative, ease of business, investment attractive, sustainable, safe and mines workers welfare-oriented mineral sector.

In this connection, the department organised a seminar here Sunday. Provincial Minister for Mines and Minerals Latif Nazar chaired the event via video link, while Mines and Minerals Department's Secretary Asadullah Faiz, Additional Secretary Ms Sara Ahmad Cheema, Deputy Secretary Aatika Ammar Bukhari and senior officers of the department also attended the seminar.

Mine and Minerals DG Syed Ishtiaq Hussain, who was also chief organiser of the seminar, explained that a concrete master plan for sustainable development of mineral sector was deliberated on the initiatives with focus on the following:

Rationalisation of size of blocks and tenure of limestone/ordinary stone leases

Uniform policy for grant of all mineral concessions through open auction under PMC Rules-2002.

Revision of ordinary sand blocks/zones areas to larger sized areas within a district throughout Punjab.

Revision of rates of sale price of sand and surface rent issues.

Up-dating the PMC Rules-2002 or replacing with the proposed 'ACT'.

Establishment of machinery pool to facilitate mining sector

Mines labour welfare in health, group insurance and up-gradation of school/hospitals

No more mining without scientific approach

Assurance of safe mining activities

Detailed deliberations conducted amongst the stakeholders and arrived at unanimous communique on all the public beneficiary initiatives to bring a...