Federal government has closed down two ongoing Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funded projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leaving the light-engineering cluster of Mardan and Weavers Association of Swat in limbo. The federal government had launched Rs 40 million, Common Facilitation and Training Centre (CFTC) project for the light engineering cluster of Takhtbai, district Mardan and Common Facilitation Centre (CFC) for weavers Association of Islampur, district Swat.
The projects were implemented through the Regional Office, Smeda of the Ministry of Industries and Production. For the CFTC, Takhtbai, the machinery was purchased while the land was provided by the local blacksmith association. The responsibility of the three years operation of the project was on the federal government and the after the passage of the period it would have to be handed over to the association concerned.
The project was approved in 2009, but due to delay in the release of fund it was delayed for two years. The 50 percent fund of the project has been spent on the purchase of machinery and completion of civil work and the remaining fund was for the operation, which is not available. The second Rs 30 million CFC project for the Weavers Association of Islampur, Swat was also approved in 2009-10. The purpose of the project was the rehabilitation of the cluster affected by the conflict and devastated flood of 2010. However, in the case of this project, the land was purchased while civil work was in progress.
The completion of the project would have rehabilitated the conflict and flood affected entrepreneurs. The shawls manufactured in the area had big demand in the both in local and foreign market. The purpose of the project was quality control of their product. The association had received a lot of export orders, but due to the closure of the project they will not be in position to improve the quality of their product and will not meet the demands of exporters.
In this connection, when this scribe contacted the president, blacksmith association, Takhtbai, Haji Rehmanullah rejected the decision of the federal government and demanded its immediate withdrawal. The association was of the view that as civil work of the project was in final phase and the required machinery has also been purchased. Therefore, they demanded of the federal government for the release of the fund for the project. The closure of the project they said would affect the business of hundreds of small and medium entrepreneurs.
The project, they said would not only extended technical assistance to the local skilled persons, but would also have provided employment opportunities to them. They demanded of the federal government for guaranteeing funds for PSDP project otherwise they will not hesitate from rendering any kind of sacrifice in this regard and responsibility of any untoward incident will rest with the government.
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