President Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Chief Executive Hub-Pak Salt Refinery, Ismail Suttar has urged the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to establish a dry port in Hub at the earliest.
Addressing a press conference at Chamber's office during journalists' visit to hub industrial estate, he said that the chamber has been proposing to FBR for the establishment of a dry port at Hub in order to further facilitate the industries and investors at Hub and other parts of Lasbela District in Balochistan.
The justification for establishment of dry port at Hub is quite obvious as it will facilitate the customs clearance of export cargo particularly of non-traditional items like marble and granite, sea food, agricultural products etc, thus expanding the volume of trade and industrial activities besides providing an incentive to the investors showing inclination for investment in Lasbela District and the employment opportunities to local people.
There is a long pending issue of construction of Hub Bypass (National Highway N-25) which was planned and designed by the NHA but the project could not be executed due to non-release of funds.
The importance of this project has increased manifold due to the increase of economic activities at Hub and increased activity in the operation of Gwadar Port, ship breaking industry being in full operation at Gaddani together with the industrial activities at Hub, the RCD Highway crossing the Hub Town has become quite insufficient to take the pressure of heavy traffic with the result that frequent traffic jams occur and the people of Hub suffer very badly. The presence of encroachments on the road further aggravates the situation. This state of affairs is also sending negative message to the prospective investors.
The construction of Hub Bypass is, in fact, in the larger interest of the people of Balochistan and to facilitate not only further industrial investment in the region but also to facilitate the proper execution of upcoming industrial projects like D G Cement, extension of Hub Power etc.
The industrial area of Hub is the largest in Balochistan, generating a large portion of both the Federal and the provincial government revenues and also providing employment to a large number of skilled and unskilled workers. Due to the reason that the KESC is unable to cater to the electricity load requirements, many industries at Hub have opted to get the required energy supply from the Captive Power Generation based on gas as fuel.
The consumption of gas in Balochistan is quite less than the production and we have constitutional right to consume the gas on priority basis. Therefore, the gas supply at Hub should remain un-interrupted with proper pressure and required quality. Unfortunately, the industries are experiencing the low pressure with low quality of gas and thus suffering from losses un-necessarily. There is a great potential of industrial investment at Hub and the maintenance of proper pressure of the gas with good quality will provide an incentive for further investment.
At present, the KESC supplies the electricity to industries at Lasbela District including Hub Industrial Area through LIEDA. But the KESC being highly under pressure of demand is not able to cater to the increasing requirement of industries at Hub and other parts of Lasbela District. Therefore, the Lasbela Chamber has been proposing the setting up of Power Plant at Hub under Public-Private Partnership, which may supply power at possible low rate than KESC. The LIEDA and the Chamber are together working on this project, which will certainly provide an incentive for further industrial investment in the region.
In order to comply with the requirements of Environmental Protection Laws in Pakistan, it was proposed that a Combined Affluent Treatment Plant may be installed in Hub to treat the industrial affluent water before it goes to Hub River. The government at federal, provincial and district level has agreed to finance the project. Now LIEDA is making a topographical survey of the site and other industrial areas to ensure proper installation of sewerage system so that all the waste water may go to the main sewerage outlet. LIEDA is working on this project.
Considering the importance of Lasbela District due to its being the Gateway to the Free Port of Gwadar, the Chamber proposed to the Ministry of Railways for laying a railway track from Karachi to Hub for passengers and goods' train to facilitate the industries to reduce the cost of transportation of their workers and goods, thus reducing their cost of production.
The Railways authorities took up this proposal very seriously and an interdepartmental committee comprising representatives of Railway, LIEDA and the Chamber was formed to study the technical and commercial aspects of the project. The Chamber provided the necessary commercial and industrial data to Railways for their assistance in developing the feasibility.
Earlier, the journalists visited industrial units, a primary school, and a hospital.
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