300 marble units in NWFP shut down, 250 on verge of closure

Mining and excavation activities of world-class quality marble and granite have stopped in Mohmand, Khyber, Bajour and Kurram agencies of Federally Administered Tribale Areas (FATA).

"The activities have become zero at the major zones where huge quantities of marble are extracted. These deposits have a great variety of colours and fabrics and thus have vast potential in international market," an official of Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) said Wednesday.

All Pakistan Marble Mining, Processing, Industry and Exporters Association (APMMPIEA) expressed its concern over the slaying of one of its member, Habib Khan at the hands of Taliban Wednesday. "He was first kidnapped and then beheaded by the extremists, whereas hundreds of loaders, dozers, excavators and other vehicles have also been lifted by the Taliban," APMMPIEA said.

Founder chairman and a senior member APMMPIEA, Sanaullah Khan said war on terror has disrupted the economic activities completely and the work on a marble city in Mohmand Agency has been stopped since the last couple of weeks.

He said around $5 million export orders from the Middle East have been cancelled so far and cancellation of hundreds of other export orders are on the cards due to zero supply of marble. "The government is also being deprived of income on lease of around Rs 1 million to Rs 1.5 million daily as the industrial activities at the mining sites were stopped.

He said development of infrastructure at the FATA'a first industrial estate on an area of 300 acres under PASDEC was also being affected. Nearly 200 manufacturing units of marble in Peshawar on Warsak and GT Road have been facing acute shortage of raw material and are expected to shut down within a couple of days, he added.

Khan said similarly, in Mardan around 100 marble units have been shut down and around 15,000 direct employment has been rendered jobless. He said nearly 250 industrial units in Buner and 50 in Mingora have been closed down while 50 units in other parts of the affected area were also not functioning since disruption. Around 20,000 skilled and semi-skilled manpower in Buner and around 35,000 indirect employments at allied industries have been laid off. The government has set an export target $500 million to be achieved by 2013 from export of marble and granite.

But due to war on terror, the marble and granite sector, serving as an engine of development, economic growth and poverty alleviation with more than 7,000 million tonnes of good quality marble ranging from super white, silky and grey varieties exist in Mohmand, Khyber and Bajaure agencies, was facing total hardship. He said in Ziarat FATA, good quality of marble mines exists and the government has started extraction from there.