Daily Times

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to further improve the production bonus guidelines issued for the better use of revenues in the districts with oil and gas production capacity and to involve the district administrations of the respective districts in the consultation process.

The working has been started on forming committees for the purpose of using the income from oil and gas reserves discovered in Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan in the development process in the respective districts so that the population related to the natural resources of oil and gas can be maximum benefited.

In this regard, in the light of the instructions issued by Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Energy and Power department organized a one-day consultation seminar at a local hotel here Friday regarding the improvement of the guidelines of production bonus funds in the districts with oil and gas.

Tashfeen Haider, Special Secretary Energy and Power while Additional Secretary Oil and Gas Akhlaq Ahmed, Deputy Secretaries Asif Ali, Javed Afridi and the representative of companies working for the production of oil and gas, Mari Petroleum, Al Haj Petroleum Companies, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company and district administration were present on the occasion.

Speaking on this occasion, Special Secretary Tashfeen Haider said that out of 42 percent of the country’s crude oil production, about 30 thousand barrels of oil per day was being produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that oil and gas were being produced at 16 places in the southern districts of the province, Kohat, Karak, Hangu and Lakki Marwat, from which the province was getting billions of rupees in the form of royalties and Federal Excise Duty on gas.

Tashfeen further said that the KP Energy Department was determined to increase the production capacity of oil and gas in the province, which would help the development and stability of the economy in the coming period.

Addressing the seminar, Additional Secretary Akhlaq Ahmed Khan said that after the discovery of oil and gas in Lucky Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan, the provincial government has started work on forming committees under consultation to improve production guidelines bonuses. The development funds will be utilized in a transparent manner through the local representation of these districts.