May 27, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1429

KARACHI, May 26: The government has been asked to ensure monitoring and accountability of the multinational oil and gas companies operating in Sindh and compel them to give employment to local people and arrange necessary training to their employees in accordance with the rules laid down in the Petroleum Exploration and Production Policy 2007.

The demand was made by the Sindh Network Corporate Social Responsibility, a representative organisation of people of five districts — Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar and Dadu. Over a dozen companies are busy in exploring oil and gas in these districts.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday, Murtaza Memon and Qurban Khokhar, president and general secretary of the organisation, said that 69 oil reserves had been discovered in Sindh so far while there were only 23 in Punjab, three in the NWFP and only one in Balochistan. The contribution of Sindh was estimated to be 56 per cent of the total oil production.

They said that Sindh was producing 71 per cent of total gas production in the country from 107 gas reserves discovered in the province.

There were only 22 gas fields in Punjab, four in the NWFP and seven in Balochistan, they added.

According to the enforced national and international laws, oil and gas companies are under obligation to provide employment and necessary training to the local people, spent some of its budget on development of the area and local environment. But the rules were flagrantly being violated as the companies were contributing to polluting environment rather than spending money on the welfare of local people and development of local areas.

They alleged that the companies were spending money only to seek favour of feudal lords and tribal chiefs to suppress area people.

They demanded that the royalty and bonus money be made public and spent on the welfare of area people and the protection of environment.

They further said that the companies in violation of the rules were using poisonous chemicals in open to explode the earth for oil and gas instead of burying them in a deep hole in the ground. The fumes emitting from such blasts were causing health hazards to the local people.