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Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has said that the mining industry is playing a key role in the overall socio-economic development of the country and there is dire need to take concrete steps to give boost to this important sector and give it a proper status of an industry as thousands of people are directly or indirectly associated with the sector.  He expressed these views while talking with a delegation of the representative of Coal Mines Association on Tuesday at Parliament House.  Senator Kuhda Babar of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Minister for Defense Production Zubaida Jalal had earlier requested for a meeting to address the hardships of the industry. 

He said that people associated with the coal business are facing hardships in making the both ends meet and a formal policy intervention is required to get the industry out of the quagmire in consultation with the with the stakeholders.  Chairman Senate observed that the coal extracted from the mines in Balochistan and Sindh is mostly consumed by the local industry and especially the brick kilns.  Any impact on the brick making industry would make the coal mining industry suffer.  He underscored the need to regulate the tax system related to mining and therefore, relevant departments should carry out a detailed consultative session to chalk out comprehensive policy.  He said that all the ministries and departments should assist the proposed committee of the Senate to suggest required legislation to address the issues being faced by the industry.   

He directed the FBR to avoid burdenising the mining with unjustified taxes and NEPRA should provide detailed report on the utilization of local and imported coal.  Representatives of coal mine industry informed the Chairman Senate about the closure of brick kilns in Punajb leaving thousands unemployed and coal mine business to a suffocating stage.  They informed that the local industry is relaying on imported coal, however, a meager design change in the plants can make them compatible for local coal thus saving country’s precious foreign exchange and supporting the local industry.  They also demanded to stop the collection of unjustified taxes as the facilities are not being extended at par throughout the country.