LAHORE -  The Punjab Industrial Estate Development Management Company (PIEDMC) has accelerated the process to establish a state-of-the-art industrial estate in Bahawalpur on 483 acres of land as the Chief Minister Office has showed dismay on the delay in its establishment.

The foundation stone for the Bahawalpur Industrial Estate will be laid in January 2018. The estate will be developed by the government while M/s NESPAK is the master planner. The NESPAK was directed to prepare and submit three plans which it did. After addressing the loopholes in the plans, the planner agency submitted the fourth plan in the BOD meeting dated 21st August 17. The draft was circulated among the company members with the direction to tender the observations, if any.

As per the NESPAK draft, the estate would be eco-friendly with reduced ecological footprints. The estate will provide equal opportunities to the investors and the local community.

In the ECO model, the businesses cooperate with each other and help boost ties with the local community. Moreover, there is master strategy to remove and reduce waste and pollution.

The master plan considered all aspects of the international standards like spaces for the public, commercial activities, open areas, parks and safe for operations.

Official sources in the PIEDMC told The Nation that since the Bahawalpur Industrial Estate would be established in the center of villages so the availability of the labor would be easy. Moreover, it would generate employment for the poor local people. "Since there are major challenges of availability of labor and employment, the new industrial estates are being established to meet such challenges" he added.

The company official stated that the NESPAK would ensure all the safety standards which he claimed were missing in the Sundae Industrial Estate Lahore that led to mishaps. There will be a regulatory system, and projects for co-generation of energy.

An Industries, Commerce and Investment Department officer said that the Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park (QAAP), as the PIEDMC claimed, would also be a state-of-the-art garment zone with centrally located government offices. Moreover, company formation, obtaining licenses, manpower needs including training, financial and legal advice would also be met on the same place.

The QAAP was to replace the Sundar Industrial Estate and the Faisalabad Industrial Estate (4500 acres project planned in a former regime) to be established by the FIEDMC. But, the company failed to come up to the government expectations.