Concerns for future after mine and oil

By KARI TOTONA
MINES and oil projects are on a downward trend and concerns for better management of those equities and royalties received by beneficiaries are vital after the lives of the projects.
Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) external affairs manager Imbi Tagune said this when presenting K20,000 towards a symposium on alcohol abuse.
He said the project areas were reaching their peaks and whatever the beneficiaries were receiving as equity and royalty, must be invested properly so that the benefit streams were sustained.
Tagune highlighted that MRDC was serious about curbing alcohol abuse especially in the project areas where all forms of violence were mainly linked to alcohol and drug abuse.
MRDC is a leading company in managing landowners’ equity and royalty benefits from the mining and
petroleum projects.
“It is challenging in project areas in mining and oil camps and we can see the prominence of alcohol abuse in young people.
“This may lead to something worse and a partnership as such to eradicate this issue is vital,” he said while referring to the three-day symposium that will be held at the PNG IPA hall in Port Moresby next week. 
Tagune commended the major mining and petroleum project developers for their ‘zero tolerance on alcohol’ and any forms of drugs at the project sites.
He said: “We would like to encourage the host communities to maintain this same zero tolerance on alcohol and drug abuse in the communities.”
Meanwhile, a representative of ExxonMobil when donating K50,000 said safety was their number one priority and they were happy to be a part of an initiative that would also benefit their workforce.