JALALABAD - Pajhwok Afghan News findings show the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) has temporarily allowed transfer of slate stones in Nangarhar province after around a year-long suspension of the process.
Owners of companies and factories involved in slate stones extraction and process have rejected the MoMP decision and said that the move could harm investors and traders and thousands of people working in the industry would lose their jobs.
In March 2020, National Procurement Commission in a meeting cancelled slate stones contracts with companies and stopped processing and transporting of the stones.
Mohammad Aziz Gharwal, spokesman of MoMP, told Pajhwok Afghan News that 23 areas containing slate stones were awarded to the private sector between 2012 and 2017.
These contracts were awarded based on conditions that the companies should activate standard processing centers, but MoMP’s evaluation showed the companies did not comply with the conditions while the terms of some other companies had ended which were the reasons the ministry cancelled the contracts, he said.
However, Nangarhar Slate Association says the contracts were cancelled without any valid reasons as the terms of the companies had not ended.
The ministry had said that one of the reasons of the contracts’ cancellation was to facilitate a single contract for all slate stones extractions and processing and preventing corruption in the process.
In May 2019, MoMP had said that High Economy Council in a meeting organized in the Presidential Palace, former mines and petroleum minister, Nargis Nehan had presented exploration and process plan of Shirzad Block of slate stones.
After the council’s review, the plan was approved and it was decided to talk with top companies in the list of MoMP for bidding. (Pajwhok)