The participants of a seminar on "Export of Marble and Granite Opportunity Knocks" have called for use of modern machinery and techniques in exploration of minerals, and demanded the cancellation of the licenses of the mine leases using uncontrolled blasting from June 2007 onwards.
The seminar was held under the auspices of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in collaboration with the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), All Pakistan Marble Industrial Association, and All Pakistan Mine Owners Associations.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) compiled all issues discussed during the seminar and recommendations for their resolution.
The seminar has recommended the formation of a Mineral Facilitation Council (MFC) having 70 percent representation from the private sector and 30 percent from the public sector with NWFP chief secretary as its chairman, while the members of the proposed Council would include provincial home secretary and industries secretary as well as Fata governor's secretary.
The issues of security of operation of mine and interference by locals on matter of surface rent should be referred to the proposed Council. The body would be authorises to cancel the licenses of all leaseholders not operating for the last one year, and would be allotted to the third party.
For the resolution of the issue of wastage of natural resource due to primitive mining techniques and uncontrolled blasting, WTO corporate responsibility, conditionality of ISO-14000, and restriction on export, the seminar recommended 50 percent rebate on royalty on minerals for companies having mechanised mines and certified by the MFC and recommended by the Directorate General of Mines and Minerals (DGMM).
The equipment required for controlled blasting would be provided by the EPB through Export Development Fund (EDF). The EPB would also arrange training for imparting controlled blasting to miners. Similarly, there would be no penalty on MFC certified controlled blasting/stitch drilling, etc.
In cases of non-availability of raw material and mine shutdown in connections with surface rent problem, the participants recommended the establishment of warehouse at Amangarh for marble and granite blocks and provision of interest-free capital loans from the EDF.
Discussing the difficulties in bank finances, the participants of the seminar called for issuance of a special notification by the State Bank of Pakistan regarding bank finances for marble/granite quarries and demanded of the provincial government to instruct Bank of Khyber to accept mining lease as security to finance the project.
They called for creating awareness about controlled blasting and mechanised mining, and establishing mine clinics in all clusters demonstrating controlled blasting. The responsibility of the clinics would be to provide information on mechanised mining and source of machinery.
In this connection, the EPB in collaboration with the DGMM and Smeda would have to arrange seminars, workshops/training in mineral and granite clusters, while University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar, along with other institutions would provide resource persons for training in quarrying.
For the up-gradation of the Mineral Testing Laboratory in NWFP and capacity building of human resource, the participants recommended the formation of committee headed by DGMM, comprising the Mineral Testing Laboratory manager, representatives of NCE, Geology, UET, EPB, Smeda, Foma, Industrial Estate Associationa and SCCI.
The government would have to make allocation for test equipment on the recommendation of the committee.
The seminar also called for capacity building of human skill and provision of soft loans to SMEs in mineral and granite sector and inclusion of marble processing to be inculcated in the syllabus of technical training centres (TTCs)/polytechnic institutes.
The identification of landfill sites for waste would be the responsibility of the DGMM and the EPB and establishment of a separate marble city and a separate industrial estate for marble at Buner.
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