HCCI urges Sindh govt to pay attention to industrial area

HYDERABAD: President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui has urged Sindh government to pay serious attention to Hyderabad’s industrial area which was confronting a host of issues that were hampering industrial growth. He appealed to government to ensure allotment of plots to industrialists for which they paid Rs25.5m to Site in advance 16 years back.

In a statement issued here Wednesday he said that over 400 industrial units exist in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) but this area was hit serious issues and needed massive reforms. He said that Hyderabad’s site had been badly neglected at governmental level although it used to be a model industrial area in the past.

HCCI Chief said present infrastructure of site was inadequate to meet requirement of functioning industrial units. For instance, he said, water supplies lines were broken, forcing industrialists to turn to private tankers mafia to meet their water needs. He said industries were getting contaminated water and same was the case with drainage which reminds one that site was located in a katchiabadi settlement.

Adeel Siddiqui said that concrete drains were built only in few sectors. During rain emergency it is hardly possible to save site area from being drowned. Encroachments dot entire landscape of Hyderabad site as hotels and cabins had been set up to destroy industrial environment. He said environmental pollution was leaving a negative implication on industrial products.

President HCCI reminded government that HCCI’s members had paid installment on July 8, 2008 to Site, amounting to Rs25.5m in advance for Site phase-II. HCCI had been making correspondences with Site management but the latter remained least bothered about it. It appeared, he said, as if phase-II doesn’t exist on ground at government level. He added this has caused unrest and mistrust among industrialists.

He said that these conditions were in fact negation of fundamental rights of industrialist and added that despite such poor economic conditions industrialists were paying Rs60bn annual tax to Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) and Federal Board of Revenue according to a safe estimate. He said tax contribution to other government bodies were in addition to it.

Adeel Siddiqui said Sindh chief minister and industries minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo were struggling for industrial promotion but these trickle down effects of these efforts were not reaching industrialists. He emphasized the need for bringing reforms in site area and appealed to Sindh chief minister to take steps for improving conditions in Hyderabad site area.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023