KARACHI: Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) on Monday demanded clipping multiple industrial laws to a single legislation for all industries in Sindh with one window facility for a regulatory regime.
At a meeting with Muhammad Younus Dagha, the interim Sindh Industries, Commerce and Revenue Minister, the PHMA office-bearers and members also sought uninterrupted supplies of utilities for industries.
“There are scores of industrial and economic development projects of the Sindh government, which are pending for several years,” Patron In-Chief, PHMA Jawed Bilwani said in his key note speech.
PHMA official for avoiding anti-export steps
The incomplete projects such as the combined effluent treatment plants in the city’s industrial zones, water recycling treatment plants TP1 and TP2 and K-IV water project still need the government attention, he added.
Expressing concerns, he said that the city’s industries continue to face the dearth of key infrastructure facilities, water, gas and power supplies.
He said water tariffs are highest in Karachi for the manufacturing sectors compared to those charged in other provinces, which has created a stiff competitive environment for the export sectors within the country.
He sought a rationalization mechanism for fixing of uniformed rates of water, power, telephone and POL products throughout the country for export sectors, saying that the tariffs discrimination with Karachi industries should end.
Inviting the minister’s attention to the exemption of Sindh Infrastructure Development Cess, he said the government had announced it in 2022-23 for the industries but a notification has not yet been issued.
Bilwani presented the industry’s demand for consolidation of multiple provincial laws for the industries as a single legislation with one window regulations to help spread the industrialization in Sindh.
The SITE also demands for its transfer into an independent Development and Management Company like industries functioning in other industrial areas of the province, he said.
He hoped that the SITE’s transfer into the company will provide the industrial stakeholders with a liberty to monitor and complete the developmental work in their zone without bureaucratic hurdles, besides ending a discrimination, he added.
Conveying the exporters reservations on a big number of provincial holidays in Sindh, he said that the closures also increase the manufacturing cost and hamper the timely completion of export consignments.
“There are 14 gazetted holidays and 52 Sundays which total up 66 holidays in a year,” Bilwani said and asked the Sindh government for a separate policy to enable the employers and workers to adjust such holidays with a mutual consent.
He also requested the minister to extend his recommendations to the federal government regarding the railways roll-on and roll-off connectivity of Karachi seaports with the upcountry.
The RORO services of Pakistan Railways will help end heavy traffic congestions on the city’s roads. The Railways will load the upcountry bounded cargo from outside the city jurisdiction, he said.
He also sought help for a rapid handling and examination of export cargo on a priority basis, saying that “at present import is handled by 80 percent of staff while remaining 20 percent looks after examination of export, which is causing delays”.
He also requested for the revival of Karachi circular railways system to facilitate workers class, besides urging for ending of the K-Electric monopoly by setting up seven separate companies in Karachi.
Chairman South Zone Abdul Jabbar Gajiani requested of the interim minister for his help in streamlining all the regulatory matters to facilitate the industries, besides uplift of roads infrastructure.
Younus Dagha said that the interim government is working on digitization of the province in all Sindh departments for example the revenue department, which is under automation process in an agreement with the PBIT.
He said that the planning and development department on his advice has also started working on new developmental plans for Sindh.
The federal and provincial governments should have practical and workable plans for negotiations with the International Developmental Organizations.
He told the PHMA members that the CETPs project was previously dead but it has resurrected to begin developing on a public-private partnership basis. Work on K-IV water project and other projects of public interest are underway, he added.
Citing the World Bank and JICA reports, he said the transportation is the most neglected sector in Sindh. He added that the province needs about 15000 buses to cater the public commuting.
Some 700 buses out of 1000 buses are presently operated by the private sector, he said and added that about $10 billion is needed to develop Karachi’s infrastructure. He asked the industries to appoint focal persons for coordination with the government on issues solutions.
PHMA Former Central Chairman Babar Khan, Irfan Bawany, Senior Vice Chairman Shabbir Bilwani, Vice Chairman Mahmood Nara, Former Zonal Chairman Aslam Karsaz, Abdul Rehman, Khizer Mehboob, member exporters Altaf Hussain, Iftikhar Ashraf, Ayaz Ali, Salman Ishaq, KM Pervez and other leading exporters also exchanged their views and participated in the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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