MITHI, Feb 8: Speakers at a seminar, debating pros and cons of Thar coal, held here on Friday, demanded of the government to spend the income from the mineral resources of Sindh in the province.

They also urged the government to devise a comprehensive mineral policy for exploration and exploitation of coal and other mineral deposits of Thar, establish coal-fired power plants, provide jobs to the local people in coal-related projects and provide adequate compensation and formulate suitable strategy for settlement of Tharis, who were likely to be displaced by coal exploration.

They also stressed the need for sanctioning an all- encompassing relief package for the drought-hit district.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman of the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party, Dr Qadir Magsi, criticized the federal government, saying that Sindh contributed about Rs400 billion to the federal pool annually but the province was being meted out a step-motherly treatment, creating an acute sense of deprivation among its people.

Criticizing the government for not taking a serious note of drought in Thar, Dr Magsi said that Thar was facing one of the worst droughts in its history for the past four years but no serious efforts were made to initiate adequate relief operations.

Prof Aijaz Qureshi called on the planners to outline appropriate policies for exploiting the country’s mineral resources to overcome the spectre of poverty.

Citing figures, Mr Qureshi said that according to a survey, conducted by the Asian Bank, the ratio of poverty in five districts of Sindh was about 82 per cent, with Thar occupying the third place in the list.

Former chief of the Sindh Coal Authority, Bashir Ansari accused the bureaucracy of trying to sabotage the Thar coal project, blaming the Sindhi officers, who were at the helm of affairs in the planning division, as being responsible for the state of affairs in this regard.

He said that most of the public representatives were reluctant to plead the case of the Sindh in the assemblies.

Mr Ansari said that most of the politicians lacked adequate knowledge about the economic problems and the mineral resources of Sindh.

Others speakers included Dr Ayub Qasmani, Dr Sono Khangharani, Nandlal Malhi and Sattar Sarki.