Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the future of the country is closely linked with minerals, livestock & dairy development, agriculture and the goal of self-reliance can be achieved by developing these sectors. Issuing instructions for setting up a core committee for speedy implementation of mining and energy projects, he directed that the committee should meet twice a month for this purpose.
He also issued instructions for the immediate launching of work on the project of residential colony for mine labourers. He was presiding over a meeting to review implementation of the initiatives for mineral development in the province, here on Thursday. Provincial Minister for Mines, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Chairman Planning & Development Javed Aslam, Chairman Special Initiatives Entity Haroon Khawaja, Secretary Energy and experts were present.
Secretary Mines Shahid Mehmood gave a detailed briefing regarding the initiatives taken for mineral development. Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that Pakistan and Punjab province are rich in mineral wealth and their development can not only help strengthen national economy but also achieve the goal of self-sufficiency and a dignified status in the comity of nations. He said that no attention has been paid during last 64 years for mineral development due to which the country is compelled to beg from others. He said that time has come to develop mineral resources and utilise modern technology for this purpose.
He said that Punjab government is paying special attention to mineral development and solid measures have been taken for this purpose. He said that besides speedy implementation of mining projects, mines & mineral development department is also being restructured for its capacity building and experts and professionals are being inducted in it. He said that energy and mining departments are interlinked and they have to work together in a consolidated manner for speedy execution of mining projects. He said that Pakistan is facing serious energy crisis but there are vast reserves of coal in the province, which can be utilised for power generation.
He said that Punjab government is working on different projects of power generation from coal and alternative sources. He said that there are vast reserves of iron ore in Chiniot, Kalabagh and Rajoa, which can be converted into steel for earning foreign exchange and generation of job opportunities. He said that pre-qualification of the companies taking part in the bidding for exploration of iron ore should be made and the work on these projects should be undertaken expeditiously. He said that public-private partnership could also be promoted for the exploration of iron ore and its conversion into steel.
He also issued instructions for taking immediate steps for initiating the project of residential colony costing one billion rupees for mining labourers. He said that during his recent visit to Turkey he had also held negotiations with the Turk minister of energy and Turkey is ready for providing assistance in this sector. He said that a team headed by secretary energy would soon pay a visit to Turkey to hold talks regarding energy projects.
Earlier, Secretary Energy Shahid Mehmood gave a detailed briefing regarding the pace of implementation of Chiniot/Rajoa and Kalabagh Iron Ore Projects. He said that survey of mines has been conducted and data on 337 mines has been collected. He said that a sample of iron ore has been sent to Germany for analysis, while quality of coal found at different places in Punjab is also being tested.
He said that international bidding has been made for Chiniot/Rajoa Iron Ore Project in which companies of China, Russia and Germany have taken part. Geologist Dr Fuzail A Siddique informed that 110 million tons iron ore reserves have been identified in Chiniot and there are also indications of the presence of other minerals including copper, gold, nickel, cobalt in the area. He said that there is high-grade coal in Mianwali, while there are prospects of coal reserves in Cholistan as well.
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