Effective strategy devised: Restructuring of mines and minerals department on the cards

Plan will help in realising importance of abundant natural resources

LAHORE: In a bid to promote private investment in the mines and minerals sector, the government has devised an effective strategy for institutional restructuring of the said department. For the purpose, considerations are underway to establish boards and to hire experts from the private sector. A foreign consultancy firm is helping the Punjab government restructure its mines and minerals department, creating an authority to give collective wisdom to it.

This was said by the mines and mineral department secretary while speaking to The Express Tribune the other day.

He said the authorities and a company working under the department were likely to be restructured to achieve optimum output. He said, “We have embarked on institutional restructuring within the department by hiring foreign experts.” He said they took on board a team of eight experts from different counties belonging to a private organisation for 10 months through competitive bidding to assist the department in restructuring.

The secretary maintained the provincial chief minister was briefed regarding working of the experts in last four months. He pointed out, “Our department is monitoring three countries including Australia, South Africa and India to understand how they are proceeding with this very profitable sector.”

CM gives go-ahead

Earlier on January 19, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting to review implementation of the initiatives for restructuring as well as launching mineral department on a solid platform.

Foreign delegation headed by Christian Mion and mining sector experts from France, Canada, Middle-East and South Africa also attended the meeting. The meeting took under consideration different ideas and suggestions related to the reinstatement of mining department on new lines.

While addressing the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif said Punjab is rich in minerals and its development will not only help in strengthening national economy but also achieve the goal of self-sufficiency and an exalted status in the comity of nations.

“Regrettably, this important front has not received due attention for 64 years which is the major reason of today’s miseries,” he added. Moreover, he said, “Time has come to develop mineral resources as well as utilise modern technology for this purpose.’ Besides speedy implementation of mining projects, mines and mineral development should also be restructured for its capacity building.

The CM maintained, “There is a dire need to update mining process according to latest trends while highly professional, skilled and technical people should be inducted in mining department.”

He said keeping abreast of the latest trends, the opinions and experience of international experts is taken into account.

He directed the authorities concerned to make the best out of these international suggestions and present a detailed report in the light of those instructions within four weeks.

The provincial chief added, “Unfortunately, in Musharaf era billions of rupees were lost to corruption in mining sector as it was handed over to an unproven and inexpert person.” He said with the help of latest technology, we could get best out of it and our government was working on it.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2017.