KARACHI: The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is considering establishing a Special Export Processing Zone on 15,000 acres near Pakistan Steel to boost the industrial activities in the commercial capital, mainly through a proposed allocated land for Small and Medium Sized (SMEs) businesses.
This was stated by Younus Dagha, Caretaker Provincial Minister for Commerce and Industries while talking to the business community at Federal B Areas Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI).
He said the government is considering introducing a law to ban the frequent trading of industrial land in a new industrial estate to control the upward spiral of the land prices in the industrial zone.
Addressing the issues of industries, he said that the government is considering constituting Works and Coordination Committees in the industrial zone of Karachi to resolve the issues of infrastructure, water and sewerage, street lights, and law and order.
These committees will be given the status of a company which will work on a self-sustainable basis.
He said compliance with the laborers' laws is indispensable for export-oriented industrial units hence the concerned provincial department should shoulder the responsibility for their health and well-being instead of creating a disturbance in the operations of industrial units
Caretaker Provincial Minister assured that the issues of the Federal B Areas industrial zone will be addressed on an urgent basis including its infrastructure, scarcity of water, and protection of labour rights.
“We are working to expedite the development project on K4 to provide smooth supplies of water throughout Karachi including F B Area industrial zone.”
On the other hand, the government is working aggressively on the development of effluent treatment plants in collaboration with the committees of respective industrial zones.
Syed Raza Hussain, President, Federal B Area Trade and Industries (FBATI) said the issues of exporters and SMEs in the FB area industrial zone should be addressed on an urgent basis to give relief to exporters and industrialists.
He apprised the minister about the issues of the industrial zone, including low gas pressure, high cost of water supplies through tankers, and harassment of officials from laborers departments.
He said compliance with the labor laws is indispensable for export-oriented industrial units hence the concerned provincial department should shoulder the responsibility for their health and well-being instead of creating disturbance in the operations of industrial units.
He suggested a mechanism of group insurance should be introduced in the industrial estates with mutual understanding of the government to provide genuine and hassle-free health facilities to workers at the present inefficient system of Sindh Employees' Social Security.
Hussain also suggested that the provincial government should collaborate with industrial estates to promote vocational training at different centers to generate skilled and valuable resources for the industries.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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