Coal mining project changes residents' lives in Thar

"I want to go to China to see the friendly brother country. I am dreaming of working in China someday," said Mutlab.

THAR (Reuters) - A coal mining project undertaken by China Railway 19th Bureau Group Co. Ltd. has helped improve local residents‘ lives in the Thar Desert, one of the poorest areas in Pakistan, by offering jobs to villagers.

Local residents in the area herd livestock for a living, but since the coal mining project was launched in 2016, villagers have become the main labor force and their lives have been getting better.

Mutlab is one of the villagers who truly feel the difference in his life.

Every morning, Mutlab and some 100 truck drivers take a shuttle bus to the site of Thar Coal Mining Block II.

Every truck has a number. Mutlab found his own truck and carefully examined the truck, cleaning the rear view mirrors and windshields before he started working. These security examinations are the truck drivers  must-dos every day.

"I remember the first day I came to work. I didn‘t wear the helmet when I walked to the truck. My master stopped me and told me harshly to wear helmet as life is important than everything," said Mutlab.

Mutlab said before becoming a truck driver, he made a living by grazing livestock and had never seen a motor vehicle, let alone driving one.

"This mine is Pakistan‘s first large-scale open-pit coal mine. These drivers have never seen these vehicles, so we gave them at least one-month training," said Zhang Xiaojun, a Chinese site manager of coal mining block.

According to the company, training more technical personnel and creating jobs for local people were put on its working agenda of the Chinese company.

Mutlab said many villagers didn‘t believe that he would get the job of truck driver when applying for it. But Mutlab and another villager made the bold decision and applied for the job after spending 12,000 Pakistan rupees (117.76 U.S. dollars) to learn truck driving at a driving school at the capital.

He now is an excellent truck driver who earn 35,000 Pakistan rupees (about 343.47 U.S. dollars) every month.

"When I received my first salary, I bought presents for my family. I bought clothes for my kid and daily necessities. My mom, wife and all my family are very happy," said Mutlab.

Mutlab has moved to a brick house from a straw hut. He has a TV set at home and a motor bike.

With little dreams having come true, Mutlab said he is now having bigger ones.

"I want to go to China to see the friendly brother country. I am dreaming of working in China someday," said Mutlab.

During the past three years, the Chinese company trained 800 local staff members who later served as be main force in the project. The coal resources have been used to generate electricity in a power station several kilometers away.