Secure marble factories of Buner, owners urge

A small mountain valley has 500 marble factories which estimates to 51% of country's production.

BUNER: The need for a centralised and secure industrial city to accommodate the large number of marble factories in Buner is being strongly demanded by local factory owners.

Buner is famous countrywide for its quality marble, which represents 51%   of the country’s production. Of the 700 marble factories located in Malakand Division, 500 are in Buner alone, while raw material to all factories is also provided from this small mountain valley.

Mohammad Afzal Khan, president of Malakand Marble Association stressed that the present government needed to focus on the marble industry which provides livelihood to more than 300,000 workers.

Another representative of the association, Fazal Hakim, told The Express Tribune that the government had also not helped the factories directly affected by militancy.

The association said with the establishment of the industrial city, the area would also get the attention of the international community. More capital would be spent here and new businesses would open up.

“Our factories are located at different places so the government should set up a proper industrial city with standard facilities for all workers,” said Haji Gul Rashid, a factory owner.

They also stressed upon forming a committee comprising labourers, sub-contractors, owners and representatives of the government to pave the way for the extension of the industry and chalk out a future plan in this direction.

Talking about the provision of dynamites, Afzal Khan said, “At first we were provided good quality dynamite, but not anymore. The low quality dynamite harms the environment and wastes our mines of marbles.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2011.