LAKKI MARWAT: Following the passage of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Registration of Brick Kilns Bill 2024, authorities have directed brick kiln owners to register their units with the special authority under the Directorate General of Industries and Commerce within 120 days to avoid legal action.

Industries Department’s Assistant Director, Ejaz Khan, told journalists that with the passage of the law, all brick kilns would now be considered industries. He explained that brick factories could no longer operate without registration with the relevant authority.

He emphasised that, as per the law, all brick kiln owners must register their units with the registration authority within 120 days. He added that without a registration certificate, no brick kilns could be established in the future.

“Under the law, a brick kiln cannot be established on agricultural land suitable for the cultivation of any agricultural produce,” he stated. Mr Khan stated that brick kilns could not operate without adopting environmentally friendly technologies and practices.

“The registration certificates will not be granted for setting up or operating brick kilns within a safe distance from schools, hospitals, transmission lines, forests, residential areas, or any other strategic location,” he added.

The official further warned that violations of the relevant laws could result in fines, imprisonment, and the cancellation of the registration certificate.

ROAD PROJECT: The provincial government has approved a road project for Karak district to provide the local population with easy access to natural resources and open new pathways for bringing sustainable development to the backward region.

This was claimed by Provincial Agriculture Minister Sajjad Barkwal while talking to a delegation of elders at his residence the other day. The minister said that the 32km-long road, linking Khora, Kurdsharif, and Koh Maidan with the rest of the district and other parts of the country, would be built at a cost of one billion rupees.

He congratulated the local residents and said that the road project would bring development to the rural areas.

Mr Sajjad also thanked Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for taking a keen interest in the project, which paved the way for its approval by the Provincial Development Working Party.

The minister said that the construction of the road was a longstanding demand of the area’s people, adding that the construction of the road would also boost tourism and the livelihoods of people in the rural parts of the district.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024