LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a committee headed by MNA Pervaiz Malik to study problems of industrial estates, prospects of establishing new industrial estates and also inspect factories and the magnitude of effect of energy crisis on them.
Also comprising industrialists, traders and government officers, the committee will submit its report within a week also on the matters related to provision of land for the offices of the chambers, setting up of reconciliation committees and other problems of business community.
The chief minister took the said step during a meeting with the presidents and office-bearers of the chambers of commerce and industries at Minar-e-Pakistan Tent Office on Tuesday. MNA Pervaiz Malik, Punjab Investment Board Vice Chairman Mufta Ismael and secretaries of various departments were present. The traders informed the CM about their problems relating to inspection of industries, energy crisis, labour, law and order, security and expensive electricity.
Shahbaz Sharif said that energy crisis had badly affected industrial, trade, agriculture, education, health and other social sectors and the federal rulers would have to give up their loot, corruption and lavish expenditure and spend national resources on the projects of power generation so that the dying industries could be revived. He said that people of Punjab were the main target of loadshedding due to which industrial and trade activities had slowed down while unemployment has increased in the province.
“Traders are the backbone of national economy and their problems will be resolved on priority basis,” he added.
The chief minister said that mal-intentions and corruption of the rulers at the federal level had plunged the country into various crises and it is passing through the most critical phase of its history. He said that everyone was upset and worried over the loadshedding.
He said that Pakistan was a poor country and could not afford wastage of resources. He said that there was a need to bring a change in attitude and adopt the values of honesty, commitment and hard work to put the country on the road to progress and prosperity. He said that Punjab government had adopted the policy of simplicity and austerity in the province and by curtailing non-developmental expenditure, additional resources were being utilised for the provision of facilities to the masses.
Shahbaz Sharif said that poverty gives rise to crime and law and order situation. However, Punjab government adopted an effective strategy to maintain civic peace and provide security to the business community, he said. He said that Punjab government is also working on power generation projects expeditiously. He said that projects of generation of energy from coal are bring set up at Lahore and Faisalabad industrial estates and 50MW power would be produced from each project.