Secretary Energy and Power Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah on Thursday said that the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were rich in natural resources, especially in oil and gas reserves, which were a valuable treasure for the province.
Chairing a high level meeting here, he said that oil and gas production from Taal Block in Karak, Kohat and Hangu districts were not only benefiting the province in terms of royalty but were also contributing to the welfare and development of the local people. The secretary said that there were also some challenges related to law and order, and security for which the role of local administration and police was very crucial.
The province, he said, had so far received a royalty of Rs 137.207 billion from Taal block and had received about Rs 3 billion under social welfare fund and production bonus, adding that measures were being taken to provide employment to the local people, construct roads, provide clean drinking water, gas and electricity facilities.
The demands of the local population, including development process and improvement in law and order situation in areas like Chamba Gul, Sarki Pyala, Anarchina and Khattak Banda were also discussed in the meeting, while important decisions were also taken to protect the staff of the companies engaged in oil and gas exploration.
