ISLAMABAD  -  Ahmed Hassan Moughal, president Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Saturday said that local industry was facing many problems from CDA, FBE, Labor Department and other departments and stressed that government should issue instructions to all business related departments to focus on resolving key issues of industry on priority basis to facilitate the growth of industrial activities.

He said this while addressing a convention of local industrialists. The purpose of organizing convention was to bring local industrialists at one platform and discuss their major issues.

Ahmed Hassan Moughal called upon the government to consider offering a special package to local industry that would promote industrialization in the region. He said that government has set target of creating 10 million jobs during its tenure and if supportive environment was created for industry, it would help government in achieving this target. He said that government should take all stakeholders including industry on board for improving ease of doing business in Pakistan.

Speaking at the occasion, Mian Akram Farid, President Islamabad Industrialists Association, said that government first enhanced electricity and gas tariffs for industry and now the policy rate has been enhanced to 10.25 percent that was not viable for local industry. He said the overall interest rate for industry amounted to 13 to 15 percent and it would badly constrain the growth and expansion of industry. He said industry was ready to cooperate with government for improving economy and government should bound all business related entities to take measures for urgent solution of key issues of industry.

He urged that government should establish one window operation on the pattern of Turkey where OWO was delivering excellent services to industrialists and investors. He said that due to very high gas tariff for industry, many local industries were considering to disconnect gas connections and urged that government should reduce power tariffs to facilitate the growth of business activities.

Many local industrialists including Khalid Javed, Tariq Sadiq, Mian Shaukat Masud, Ch. Waheed ud Din, Atif Ikram Sheikh, Nasir M. Qureshi, Sanaullah Khan, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Sheikh Munir, Khalid Mian, Mirza Muhammad Ali and others also spoke at the occasion and highlighted various issues of industry. They said that CDA’s lease renewal process was very complicated due to which lease renewal of many industrial plots was pending and the civic body was also losing revenue. They said that CDA should also revise building byelaws for industry and allow multi-trades facility on industrial plots.

They said CDA should focus on better development of I-9, I-10 and Kahuta Triangle industrial areas and improve infrastructure including roads, water supply, street lights, sewerage and drainage systems.

Rafat Farid, Senior Vice President, and Iftikhar Anwar Sethi, Vice President ICCI, assured the local industrialists that Chamber would make all possible efforts for resolving their highlighted issues.