QUETTA, Feb 11: The Balochistan government has decided to issue notices to the owners of 47 mines of coal and other minerals for failing to pay its dues for many years.

This decision was taken at a meeting, held here on Monday with the provincial minister for industry, Sardar Mohammad Ali Jogezai, in the chair.

The owners of 32 coalmines and 15 other minerals’ mines would be issued notices. They have been defaulting on government dues for many years.

The government expressed concern over the attitude of the defaulters and directed them to pay the dues without any further delay.

It was decided at the meeting that the chief inspector boiler would be shifted from Quetta to the Hub Industrial Township. The managing-director of the Lasbela Industrial Estate Development Authority (LIEDA) would provide him with an office.

The meeting recommended appointment of an electric inspector in the Hub industrial area. It observed that the training programmes being implemented at the Hub Technical Training Centre were not fulfilling the requirements of various industries.

It was also decided that the manpower and training director would introduce new training programmes in required trade after consulting with the LIEDA managing -director.

The meeting was informed that the manpower and training director had suggested that technical training centres should be set up the in the central jails of Much, Gadani and Khuzdar.

It was also suggested that for the time being a complete technical training centre be established in Gadani with a small industrial unit.

Educational kits: The Academy for Educational Development (AED), a Washington-based NGO, has donated 40,000 kits of school supplies for the Afghan refugee children living in various camps in Balochistan and the NWFP.

AED representative at Quetta, Ishtiaque Ahmed, handed over the kits to the chief of United Nations representative’s sub-office, William Sakataka, at a ceremony held here on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ahmed said 20,000 kits would be distributed among the Afghan children in Balochistan while another 20,000 kits among the children in the NWFP.