The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to setup Minerals Development Company to boost mineral sector on modern lines and to encourage private sector for joint ventures with the government to utilize the mineral sector potentials of the province to the optimum. For this purpose, a draft law has also been prepared, which would be enacted after approval from the competent forum.
This was told in a meeting of the Mines and Minerals Development department held here on Tuesday with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan in the Chair. Special Assistant to CM on Mines and Minerals Arif Ahmad Zai, Chief Secretary Dr. Shehzad Bangash, Additional Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Amjad Ali Khan, administrative secretaries of concerned departments and other officials attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister has directed the quarters concerned to expedite setting up of Mines and Minerals Development Company and said that revenue of the province could be increased significantly by effectively utilizing the mineral resources of the province. He also directed them to take steps to fully utilize the precious minerals in the province by encouraging private sector investment, adding that a mechanism should also be devised to promote partnership with the private sector for the purpose.
He also directed to take steps on priority basis to provide all the services including issuance of NoCs to industrialists and private investors under a single roof further directing to fix realistic timelines for the issuance of NoCs from all the departments.
He also directed to further streamline the lease process to make it easier and more transparent adding that in case of non- commencement of physical work by the lease holders within the stipulated timelines, the leases would be cancelled as per the prevailing rules and regulations.
Earlier, briefing about the overall performance of the department with special focus on the reforms initiatives, it was informed that all the official affairs of the administrative department of mines and minerals development had been made paperless whereas in the next phase paperless policy would be replicated in the attached formations of the department.
