According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, one of the important and effective capacities of each region is the mines of that place, which, if activated and used optimally, can be used in order to create extensive employment. This area can have a direct impact on employment and income, but one of the most important requirements is the correct and timely exploitation of mines.

In the following report, we have tried to examine the conditions of this area in North Khorasan; Due to its small size and small population compared to other provinces of the country, the province is in a high position in terms of mineral utilization. In general, North Khorasan has more than 250 registered mines, unfortunately less than half of which are active and the rest are inactive. According to information published by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, 68 minerals have been identified in the country, 28 of which are found in North Khorasan.

According to experts' estimates, the amount of definite reserves of North Khorasan mines is 1 billion and 58 million tons and the amount of nominal reserves of mines is 11 million and 500 thousand tons. The interesting point is that only 5 million and 800 thousand tons of minerals are extracted annually from the mines of North Khorasan. These numbers show that North Khorasan has a huge mineral capacity that if used properly, the province's economy can face significant progress.

But enjoying this capacity requires a serious government intervention; Now, this important and fundamental task is the responsibility of the 13th government in order to transform the employment and livelihood of the deprived and relatively newly established people of North Khorasan by attracting and attracting investors.

80 mines in North Khorasan will be handed over

Currently, 1,340 billion rials is invested by the private sector in the province's mines, which is a small number compared to the amount and size of the mines, so the General Directorate of Industry, Mines and Trade of the province plans to transfer 80 mines to the private sector. This news was presented to reporters by the director general of industry, mining and trade of the province in April of this year and he said: 80 mining licenses and inactive mining areas of the province, which have been disqualified from the exploiters, will be handed over through auctions.

Hossein Haji Begloo stated: 28 exploitation licenses and 14 mining areas that are inactive will be handed over to the private sector through auctions, and the rest are exploration licenses and exploration certificates that have been disqualified due to inactivity of the previous exploiter.

Haji Begloo pointed out: The applicants who win in this auction, but do not do the work of exploration and activation of the mine, will be disqualified from the mine.

He pointed out that 45 inactive mines in the province were disqualified from miners last year, adding: "If the mine does not pay government salaries, keeps the mine inactive or does not fulfill its obligations, it will be disqualified."

Active investors are also facing many problems now. Problems such as the high cost of equipment and machinery, the high cost of extraction and the lack of conversion industries in the province are the most important of these problems.

From currency fluctuations to reduced employment

Mehdi Sajjadi, in charge of the North Khorasan Mining Engineering System, says in this regard: There are mines in Garmeh city that are mostly closed due to currency fluctuations because investors do not have the power to buy the required machinery.

He adds: "There are other small and large mines in the province that need the support of the private sector and large industries in the province." The CEOs of the big companies in the province are responsible in this regard, but they are not doing their job.

Sajjadi states: The CEO of the province's large industries are generally non-native and live in Tehran and spend the province's money in other areas, so there is no compassion for North Khorasan.

This expert in the field of mines also points to active cases and says: There are mines in Raz and Jorglan cities that have also obtained exploitation licenses and have the potential to extract 500,000 tons of minerals that are now active and used in the paint industry.

Ehsan Eftekhari, the head of Farooj Industry, Mining and Trade Department, also pointed out that the number of active mines in the city was 9 with a nominal extraction of 265,500 tons and 54 jobs: Of these, only 3 mines remained active in recent years. Remaining and job creation in it has decreased to 34 people.

Director of Industry, Mining and Trade Farooj said: "Limited equipment and devices such as crushers, lack of working capital and جمله are among the factors closing the mines and its reactivation requires banking facilities."

Albalagh is a clear example of recklessness in the mines of North Khorasan

In the field of mines in North Khorasan, recklessness, inconsistency and lack of proper management is a clear example, and that mine is Albalagh; The mine has been in the headlines for years, but officials have done nothing to revive it. The story of Albalagh goes back to the time when some residents of the area of ​​this mine became aware of the value of its stones and illegally extracted it.

This process is constantly flourishing, and workers go to this impassable area for their livelihood, digging small and large tunnels to extract lead and zinc minerals and selling them to traders nearby; Brokers also took minerals to western provinces and supplied them to large industries.

The purchase price of the stones was so high that the number of people abandoned in the mine was increasing day by day, and in the meantime, 6 people lost their lives under the rubble of illegal tunnels.

This process continued until after many struggles, Imidro was obliged to maintain, study and explore this valuable mine, but this organization also did not fulfill its duties and promises, and thus the Alabagh Esfarayen mine was still in operation. He had abandoned himself and the brokers were moving around.

Eventually, a dispute broke out between the shooters and one person lost his life, forcing the authorities to put mine protection on the agenda more seriously; Finally, the protection of the area is now in the hands of Imidro, but it is not clear when people will be able to taste the job creation in this huge mine.

According to Mehdi Keramati, the governor of Esfarayen, in a press conference, the organization in charge of exploration studies on the lead and zinc mines in the city will complete the project by early August of this year.

He added: "Currently, the work of exploratory studies is in the stage of laboratory examination of samples to determine the composition and grade of minerals in Albalagh mine."

Keramati stated: the result of studies and other preparations should be operationalized so that by the end of 1400, the construction of a lead and zinc processing plant in the Albalagh mine in the city will be knocked to the ground.

Although the trustee organization is trying to fulfill its obligations with the speed of a turtle, the Khatam al-Anbia Sepah base has announced its readiness to spend 25,000 billion tomans in this area, so it is necessary to revoke the current company's operating license, which also requires an agreement with the company. It is mentioned.

Albalagh, which is known in North Khorasan as a clear example of weak mining management, is the point of hope of the people who saw speculators and minerals leaving their city and province for about three years, but officials did nothing to prevent it.

Now, the people of North Khorasan are hoping for the next government to immediately put the worthy actions of the people of this low-income region on its agenda and make North Khorasan one of the top 10 provinces in the country that the Supreme Leader considered.