SECMC proposes coal royalties be used for Thar's development

Commercial extraction of coal to start on October 20, says CEO

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) is hopeful that the provincial government will approve its proposal to allocate royalties of Thar coal for Tharparkar's development. The recommendation has recently been submitted by the SECMC's non-profit organisation, the Thar Foundation, to the Sindh government.

According to a statement, SECMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shamsuddin A Shaikh said the government was considering the proposal for implementation. If approved, the royalties will be spent to develop the desert region.

The provincial government owns 54.7% share in the SECMC, which is working on a $2 billion coal mining and power generation project in Thar Block II in Islamkot taluka. According to Shaikh, the Thar Foundation is spending Rs4.5 billion on various development projects, including 10 schools with enrolment of 5,000 children, a 250-bed hospital, two clinics, drinking water schemes, women empowerment programmes, disaster management projects and others.



The SECMC CEO said the company would start commercially extracting coal from Thar on October 20 this year and power production from the 330 megawatt project will start on December 31. He added that the SECMC had saved $150 million of the project cost and the project would be completed four months before the deadline.