PESHAWAR: The mine owners have demanded provision of basic infrastructure, including access roads to mines, and supply of water and electricity to enable them continue work smoothly and meet the targets.

They said that participation of mine owners in policy formulation and environment conservation was equally important to avoid complications.

They were speaking at a one-day training workshop organised for the stakeholders of marble and granite sector by Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority here on Wednesday.

On this occasion, the marble processors suggested establishment of industrial estates with one-window operations to overcome issues related to power outages and pollution.

The concerns of the marble and granite traders and the public sector representatives were mainly about the formulation of efficient marketing system to increase exports and domestic earning.

The interventions demanded by the stakeholders mainly pertained to the availability of loans, skilled labour and technology upgradation.

According to a statement, the workshop organised under feasibility study on cluster-based mineral sector transformation plan discussed the issues faced by the marble and granite sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its tribal districts.

Riaz Ahmed Sahito, project director at Planning Commission of Pakistan, chaired the workshop.

As many as 26 businessmen from mining, processing and trading sector participated in the workshop.

The participants included Zulkifal Khan, director, Directorate of Mines and Minerals, KP; Sherbandi Khan, president of Frontier Mine Owners Association; Arshad Iqbal, general secretary Buner Marble Association and others. General manager Smeda outreach, Javed Iqbal, thanked the marble associations of KP for their continued cooperation in the survey.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2018