Peshawar(PR):The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minerals Development Department has started receiving online applications for leasing various minerals throughout the province. On its first day, hundreds of applications have been received from international and national companies as well as individual investors.
According to details, 16 national and international companies and 92 individual investors have applied for mineral licenses through online applications. The introduction of online leasing is a landmark step of the provincial government towards ensuring transparency and elimination of illegal mining in the province.
The online leasing system will ensure transparency and elimination of corruption and favouritism from the leasing process thereby providing investors with a conducive investment atmosphere.
According to Director Planning, Syed Bilal Khisro, investors have shown keen interest in minor minerals in the province and about 125 individual investors have opened their online accounts showing keen interest in certain minerals.
The director further clarified that the credit for this landmark achievement goes to the provincial government and the Provincial Minister for Minerals Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli. He added that the entire leasing process has been made easy and accessable there by ensuring its transparency.
Bilal Khisro further added that a facilitation center for investors has also been opened in the Directorate General of Mines and Minerals with the aim to facilitate investors and provide them with guidelines.
He hoped that under the leadership of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and guidance of Provincial Minister for Minerals Development Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minerals Development Department would become the most transparent and the first ever revenue generating department of the province.
Provincial Minister Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli in her remarks said the interest of hundreds of investors in the online application for minerals leasing shows that in the current month thousands of investors and companies would submit their on line applications for investment in mineral sector of the province. She said under a transparent system, lease licenses would be issued.
She said everything in the Minerals Department would be done on merit and no one would be able to have any objection against it.
