Safety measures stressed in mines

PPP leader says inspectors should check mines regularly

QUETTA:

The provincial leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Shams Hamzazai on Thursday urged the mines and minerals department to ensure precautionary measures for avoiding tragic incidents in the mining sites.

Talking to APP, he said the government should take stern action against those mine owners who did not take precautions and safety measures in their mines. Shams said, “Mostly, the incidents occurred due to negligence of the labourers and mine owners without inviting any attention from the quarters concerned”.

He appealed to the government to bind inspectors to inspect the mines on a regular basis to overcome the rising disaster incidents and death ratio due to poor working conditions and awareness and impose a ban on those mines in the province which lack precautionary measures.

Hamzazai asked the labourers and mine owners to cooperate with the department in following safety and health protocols.

He urged the mine owners to instal safety equipment in mines for the protection of the coal miners.

“The department is responsible to create awareness among the workers and to organize training sessions for mine workers on a regular basis,” he added.

He said the main reason behind fatalities in the mining sector was a lack of oxygen and explosions due to methane gas.

Hamzazai urged the mine owners and workers to take the issue more seriously for making efforts to implement the law for overcoming coal mine incidents.

The mines and minerals sector of the province has witnessed a huge royalty collection and the potential to spur economic growth and job creation in Balochistan, he stressed.

The government should issue more licenses with the aim to trigger rapid growth of the mining sector and attract maximum investors, he maintained.

He added the government should establish new regional offices of mines and minerals at Muslim Bagh, Harnai, Mach and Gwadar to ensure good governance and facilitation of the mining companies.

Meanwhile expressing concern over the Duki coal mine accident that occurred last week, he said the coal miners were making efforts on their own to ensure the recovery of their companions who were trapped inside the coal mine.

At least two coal miners were trapped when a coal mine was suddenly filled with rainwater in the Duki mines area.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2023.