Preferential treatment: Miners demand govt rescind K-P Minerals Act 2016

Government accused of favouring influential lease holders of mines

ABBOTTABAD: The office-bearers of Frontier Mines Owners Association (FMOA) have demanded that the provincial government rescind the Mineral Act, 2016, which they believe will have devastating effects on to the mining industry, and the manpower attached to it.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, FMOA Provincial President Sher Bandi Marwat said the PTI’s government has kept the members of K-P assembly in the dark while bringing legislation on mines and minerals which is meant to facilitate influential lease holders at the cost of the provincial exchequer and smaller lease holders.

He said that under the new act, the provincial government has reduced the lease area to only 200 acres against financial guarantees of millions. He said the Act would result in the closure of 750 mines and render thousands of miners and support staff jobless.

Marwat claimed that through new legislation, the provincial government has imposed unnecessary conditions on small local leaseholders and owners, which has created a number of obstacles in running their businesses.

“This would ultimately support big lease owners,” he claimed, adding that the big lease owners were causing losses of billions for the government in connivance with ministry officials.

He said there were thousands of workers engaged in excavation of minerals in the province and when the small lease owners would be affected they would natural close down their businesses, leaving the employees jobless.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2017.