DADU, Dec 2: Speakers at a seminar demanded on Tuesday that the government should hand over control of natural resources to Sindh and ensure that local people got jobs and development was carried out in their areas.

Research and development expert Naseer Memon said at the seminar on “Ownership of natural resources and provincial autonomy” organised by an NGO that out of 122 oil wells of the country 93 were in Sindh and this province was producing 76.22 per cent of total oil of the country.

Mr Memon said that out of 117 wells of gas 96 were in Sindh and the province was producing 71 per cent gas of the country but in return its people neglected with regard to jobs and development schemes.

He said that almost no development had been carried out in the areas, which were producing oil and gas. The ENI Pakistan was extracting oil and gas from Jhangara and the BHP Billiton from Johi but the areas had been ignored by the companies.

The president of the Sindh Democratic Forum, Abrar Kazi, said that oil and gas companies were extracting oil and gas from Dadu, Jamshoro, Badin, Ghotki, Sanghar and Khairpur districts but local people were deprived of health, education and development rights.

He said that according to Petroleum Concession Agreement, the companies were bound to carry out development in the area from where they were extracting the minerals. Huge reserves of coal available in the province had still been unused, he said.

He urged locals to raise the issue of jobs and development schemes and said that political parties would join this struggle like they did for Qadirpur gas field. It was high time to launch a struggle for getting ownership rights of natural resources, he said.

Syed Hakim Ali Shah, archaeologist and historian, said that the geography of the area from which oil and gas was explored underwent a massive change, putting local people at high risk.

He appealed to the BHP, ENI and other oil companies to pay attention to basic rights of local people.

Ali Ahmed Rind said that the BHP and ENI oil companies were paying 12.5 per cent income from their revenue to the federal government and they were using only one per cent in the area.

He said that local people were protesting for royalty and advised them to demand ownership of natural resources.

Pir Bux Babar, a local activist of the NGO, complained that people of Johi were neglected with regard to jobs and basic facilities.