Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) on Sunday said the government should involve the local people in monitoring extraction of minerals from mines.

The state should also invest five percent of mines revenues on development projects in the local areas where the mines are located, the HRRAC said. 

According to HRRAC officials, there are numerous challenges in mining because and the mines law is not being implemented fully. 

Director of HRRAC Attaullah Khan said the government in the past 16 years has failed to resolve the problems existed in the mining sector, especially in monitoring. This has caused an increase in illegal mining in the country. 

“There are lots of problems in extracting minerals from mines. First, the society is not involved. Secondly, there are lots of illegal extractions and thirdly, the contractor companies do not carry out activities based on the articles of the contracts,” said Attaullah Khan. 

Officials of the mines and petroleum ministry said they have lost many technical employees in the last one and half year. 

According to mines and petroleum ministry, they have prepared a seven-year plan for bringing reforms, proper mines extraction, prohibition of illegal mining and capacity building in the ministry. 

The Mines ministry also said they are working on an outline to give more shares and opportunities to women to invest in mining. 

“Until now five percent of the project’s gross incomes is not being received to be invested in developing the work area and we are working in this regard,” deputy minister for mines and petroleum Jawed Sadat said.

Some parliament members said parliament itself has not done enough to resolve legal problems existed in mining. 

“Parliament is responsible to implement the law but has failed in this regard. Parliament has also not introduced any clear plan regarding mining to the government,” MP Sayera Sharif said.