LAHORE: The Brick Kiln Association has urged the Punjab government to extend soft loans to the kiln manufacturing industry as it is facing very thin business activities because of the Covid-19 issue. The Association also demanded a two-month extension in the deadline for conversion of brick kilns to environment-friendly technology.

"Business life is paralyzed because of the coronavirus issue all over the province and a condition of uncertainty is prevailing. Construction activities too are at the lowest ebb and millions of bricks are lying idle on the kiln premises," said Shoaib Khan Niazi, President of the Association, during a meeting with the Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab Director General Tanveer Ahmad Warraich here on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by General Secretary Brick Kiln Owners Association Mehr Abdul Haq, Director EPD Naseem-ur-Rehman and representatives of the Association.

They also appealed to the DG Environment to perform his role in the extension of the deadline coming to end on June 30 for conversion of old brick kilns to an environment-friendly technology in eight districts of Punjab.

Director Environment EPD Naseem-ur-Rehman Shah told Business Recorder that the department had issued a notification in January this year, saying that no brick kiln with old technology would be allowed to run in eight districts of the province including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur etc after June 30, 2020.

Director General of EPD Tanveer Warraich assured the Association that all its legitimate concerns will be conveyed to the higher authorities. "The closure of kilns or eliminating jobs is not our agenda but compromise on environmental issues is not possible at any cost," he added.