The first phase of Mohmand Marble City is scheduled to be completed by September 2014. The work contract is set to be awarded in March next year. The first phase includes development as
well as allotment of 60 plots to the interested investors to set up their marble factories in this first ever well established Marble City in this part of the country. This was told at a presentation given to the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar at Governor’s House on Wednesday. Additional Chief Secretary FATA Fazal Karim Khattak, Chief Executive FDA Shah Rukh Arbab and Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) Ihsanullah Khan besides officials of FDA and FATA Secretariat attended the meeting. Spread over an area of 305 acres, Marble City will have 298 plots of different sizes besides modern processing and other facilities. Chief Executive PASDEC in his presentation informed the meeting that the process of acquisition of land, construction of 4.5 km access road, master plan, detailed design and tender documents had been completed whereas work on construction of grid station and incentive plan was in progress. He said in the first jumpstart phase, 60 plots would be developed whereas the intending investors would be provided financial facilitation and ease in doing business besides tax relief, power tariff subsidy and freight subsidy. Governor described the Mohmand Marble City a landmark project in the development of mineral resources in FATA adding that it would have far reaching effects on the socio-economic conditions of the entire area. He said project would not only create employment opportunities for the local people but it would also help in skill development. He urged the need for establishment of a training centre where the youth of the area could be imparted training and skill in the relevant technologies. He said the incentive package should be carefully prepared so as to avoid the bitter past experiences in different similar projects in other parts of the province. He stressed that the master plan must be strictly followed.
