GUJRAT: The mines and minerals department has explored at least two new sites of gravel in Gujrat district.

These new sites are located in Sara-i-Alamgir tehsil’s Dhoke Amral storm water channel and in Awan Sharif town, close to Azad Kashmir’s Bhimber district. This was stated by Mines and Minerals Department Assistant Director Muneeb Hassan while talking to Dawn.

He said both these new reservoirs of gravel might fetch a huge amount to the national exchequer. For instance, he said the Dhoke Amral site had recently been auctioned at Rs150m whereas the reserved price for the auction of Awan Sharif reservoir of gravel had been fixed at Rs5m. Both these sites are located in the storm water channels.

In Sialkot region, Gujrat had at least 22 blocks of sand lifting sites auctioned along the Chenab whereas Narowal and Sialkot had nine and seven sites of minerals, respectively. According to an overall official estimate, the Sialkot zone raised at least Rs750m per year out of its so far auctioned sites of minerals.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024