Committee formed to resolve trade, industry issues

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and DCO liaison committee has been formed to solve the issues and problems being faced by the trade and industry.

The committee was established during an LCCI meeting with the district coordination officer (DCO) Noorul Amin Mengal on Monday. Talking on the occasion, the DCO said that the very objective of this committee is to solve the business community problems on priority basis. "It would be sort of one-window for the business community where their issues would be solved within 24 hours."

The issues came under discussion includes prices of daily-use items, professional tax, social security, EOBI, labour inspections, solid waste tax, board tax, surge in crime rate and improper attitude of government functionaries while dealing with business related issues.

He said that all the issues that would brought to the committee would be discussed threadbare with the concerned stakeholders and the representatives of the Lahore Chamber for their immediate and amicable solution.

The DCO added that the province would be turned into an ideal investment and business destination through maximum facilitation to the trade and industry that includes a whole new daily use items price-revision mechanism and revision of labour inspections and social security policies.

He said that the district government is well aware of the issues and the day-to-day challenges and their solutions are being worked out that would be implemented soon.

Over the issue raised by kiryana merchants regarding their harassment on the prices of daily-use items, the DCO said that the issue would be resolved within two to three days. He took a serious view to the corporation tax/commercialization fee being charged from the small businessmen and promised to look into it issue to enable the cottage industry people to do their businesses with peace of mind. Over the issue of parking, the DCO said that the parking company is being formed that would be introducing computerized parking ticket system very soon.

Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI acting president Kashif Younis Meher highlighted the issues being faced by trade and industry and said that issuance of notices to as many as 1250 industries by the environment department without even properly probing the issue is a sheer injustice.