Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Govt Officials’ Share in Mining Projects Illegal: Nehan

Govt Officials’ Share in Mining Projects Illegal: Nehan

HEART CITY - The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) on Monday called parliament members and government officials’ shares in mining projects as illegal, saying it would not let such projects go into effect.
Nargis Nehan, acting mines and petroleum minister, told a conference in western Herat province that the aim of the conference was bring reforms to the mining sector, projects announcement and assessment of problems in the mining area.
“All mines under contract or without a contract would be assessed,” she said.
Nehan said there were no names of parliament members or government officials existed in the list of shareholders of mining projects, but they had a share behind the scene.
“According to documents and information, projects in which parliament members and government officials have a share are illegal,” she said.
She added her ministry had sought the National Security Council (NSC)’s help for identification of such figures.
While talking about nine marble mining contracts in Herat province, she said, “There are many problems in marble mines, 30 percent of charges paid to the ministry have caused some mines extraction companies to fail.”
Nehan said no contracts for mines extraction were signed over the last four and a half years due to what she said legal problems and lack of transparency in the sector.
She said her ministry had announced many mining projects for bidding following some reforms in the mining area.
She said mines were still extracted illegally in many provinces of the country as 80 percent of areas where mines were illegally extracted had been identified so far. (Pajhwok)