DADU, Sept 17: Leaders of local communities, elected representatives and civil society activists on Monday decided to launch a joint struggle against violation by oil and gas companies operating in the district of the standards of Corporation Social Responsibility (CSR) and Petroleum Concession Agreement (PCA).

They took the decision at an “awareness and consultative workshop on corporate social responsibilities of oil and gas companies” organised by an NGO in Johi.

The president of Johi Awami Ittehad, Qurban Ali Khokhar, said that according to the standards of CSR as well as the sections of Petroleum Concession Agreements signed by oil and gas multinational companies with the federal government, each company had to invest about US$700,000 annually in the social development of local areas.

However, the BHP Billiton and other oil exploring companies operating in Johi had failed to make substantial investment for community development.

The president of Young Samaji Tanzeem, Sawan Babar, alleged that the oil and gas companies were violating the standards about provision of jobs to local communities.

He said that the agreement clearly stipulated that preference would be given to local communities in jobs and local untrained people would be trained, but the companies had even deprived local communities of jobs and training.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, Abdul Sattar Leghari, said that according to current petroleum exploration and production policy 2007 as well as Petroleum Concession Agreement, the companies were required to pay royalty to the local governments at the rate of 12.5 per cent of the value of petroleum at the field gate but the district government and Johi taluka administration had never received this royalty.

The Sindh United Party leader Ghulam Qadir Leghari alleged that the companies had been endangering the environment and livelihood resources of local people by using different chemicals and then throwing their residue in open grounds near human population.