Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents of seven industrial associations of Karachi have expressed their dismay over the attitude of elected representatives of public and government for not paying attention to the issues, including non-availably of water, gas and power in industrial areas to operate industrial units.
Speaking at a joint press conference under the banner of Karachi Industrial Forum (KIF) at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, they said those industries which provide largest employment in the country facing closure due to non-availability of basic utilities.
M Jawed Bilwani, President of Site Association of Industry; Abdul Rasheed Fodderwala, President of North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry; Nisar Ahmed Khan, President of Site Superhighway Association of Trade and Industry; Jawed Ali Ghori, President of Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry; Rashid Ahmed Siddiqui, President of Korangi Association of Tread and Industry; Mian Muhammad Ahmed, Patron in Chief of Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry; Islamuddin Zafar, Senior Vice President of Landhi Association of Trade and Industry; and others present at the press conference.
They said neither the prime minister, the Sindh governor, the Sindh chief minister and federal ministers and nor heads of government departments even paying any attention to reply letters written to them from time to time on the issues.
They said it was prime responsibility of elected representatives and the elected government to resolve issues so that the industries should operate at full capacity. It looked like that the government and public representatives intentionally paying no heed towards issues and industries are at the verge of collapse.
They said that the persisting conditions have encouraged new generation to look for future in foreign countries as they see working condition were getting worse with the passage of time. They lamented that despite the fact that Karachi was Pakistan's leading metropolitan city, contributing 50 percent of the nation's exports, 54 percent of the tax revenue and generating huge amount of employment to people from all over the country who are breadwinners for millions of people.
It is most unfortunate, they said, that since last more than two decades Karachi is suffering the cruelty meted out to industries and the fact that the new generation of Karachi has not seen any facilities in the infrastructure like proper supply of water, gas, electricity, street lightings and miserable state of roads causing accidents and they have not seen any peace or continuous improvement in the law and order situation in this metropolitan city - Karachi which is indeed a great dilemma.
Unfortunately Karachi is a metropolitan city just in the name but lacks all above facilities which are actually provided globally to a metropolitan city. It is a great dilemma, they said, that the entry and exit points are so much choked and blocked and the people find it most difficult to enter the industrial areas. Even those among the foreign buyers who brave all these difficult situations and visit the industrial areas of Karachi are taken aback to see such miserable conditions and avoid their next visits, all of which creates a very bad image of the metropolitan city of Karachi.
With such unfriendly business environment existing in these industrial areas there also exists very poor infrastructure; dilapidated condition of roads; non-functioning of street lights; miserable law and order situation with no sense of security for industrialists and labour coupled with frequent loadshedding of gas and electricity; supply of gas for hardly two days in a week; low pressure in gas supply; no water available through the KW&SB water pipelines and to crown this all high costs of doing business is ruining the industries compelling them to close down. It is imperative to note that due to stiff competition and high cost of doing business, industries only working with 90 percent efficiency are successful and can survive and earn profit; industries working with 75 percent efficiency is at break even.
They said that previously there was a circular railway service provided to the inhabitants of Karachi which stopped all of a sudden and it was an irony that the much trumpeted the Karachi Mass Transit Project has been shelved leaving the people of Karachi with age-old transport system where the burdened and haggard labourers travel to and fro to their factories sitting on roof tops of buses which is not seen in any metropolitan city of the world.
They said that several industries have been compelled to close down owing to such sordid state of affairs and more and more industries faced with imminent closure. The presidents of seven industrial associations of Karachi presented a most pragmatic Charter of Demands as under:
1:-Pipelines supplying water to all seven town and industrial areas of Karachi which should be separated from other consumers.
2:-Guaranteed quantity of water supply should be fixed strictly in accordance to the requirement of all the town and industrial areas of Karachi.
3:-Dedicated pipelines supplying gas to all seven towns and industrial areas of Karachi will be separated from other consumers.
There should be 3-5 electricity distribution companies in each town and industrial area to provide steam and electricity to end the monopoly of one company.
4:-There should be Fire Stations in each town and industrial area, fully equipped Fire Tenders, snorkels and fire fighting equipments etc. All police stations in the jurisdiction of seven town and industrial associations should come under the command of Rangers and all postings and transfers of police officials be done with the consultation of concerned town / industrial association.
5: Postings and transfers of deputy commissioners should be done with the consultation of concerned Town Industrial Association. Fix the number of Gazetted holidays in the year. In case, an employee could not attend the office due to strike and disturbance the same to be adjusted from the Gazetted Holidays.
They stressed on the fact that these demands of the industrial areas of Karachi are most pragmatic and the fundamental rights of the industries over the government without which it becomes impossible for industries to run more so because of the fact that these industries are paying huge amount of taxes through their nose and definitely and undeniably deserve the assurance of the government to fulfil the above requirements without any delay or otherwise if the government fails to provide proper infrastructure then it should abstain from taking any taxes so that industrial areas spend the money, they are paying on taxes, to build and operate their own infrastructure to run their industries which is most essential not only for their existence but also for hundreds of thousands of labourers employed in industries.
Replying to a question, Bilwani said that they will continue to hold press conferences to apprise the Sindh government and the federal government about their grievances in future after an interval of few days and if this fail to attract attention then they will decide their future line of action.
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