The newly elected president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Najam Rehan, expressed his resolve to strive for industrialisation of the Rawalpindi region, saying his desire is to give Rawalpindi an identification with a particular industry.
"The Rawalpindi region has no industrial identification like Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Gujrat. Now it is responsibility of the business leaders to work for the purpose and establish a specific industry", said Najam Rehan, in an interview with Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
Najam Rehan, who is a business man of general trading, has been elected as the president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) for 2004-05.
After replacing Hussein Ahmed Ozgen, Najam Rehan will be 42nd president of the RCCI in its 52-year history.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on many occasions has also expressed his desire to give Rawalpindi an industrial identification, as he himself belongs to Rawalpindi, said Najam Rehan.
He said the RCCI has adopted measures in this direction, and so far 15 pharmaceutical industrial units were set up in Rawat Industrial Estate, and 25 others are in pipeline. "I am sure that pharmaceutical industry will become an identification of this region", he added.
Discussing on the Rawat Industrial Estate, Rehan said this is the first-ever public sector industrial area, and the outgoing body of the Chamber has played effective role in developing this estate, adding it has a capacity of 500 units having a plot size of 2, 4, 8, 16 kanals of land and 95 percent of the area was allotted to different industries.
"Industrial estates have a big role in the socio-economic development of a country so that I am sure this industrial estate will play a vital role in socio-economic development and stability for not only this region, but also entire Pakistan", he added.
The new RCCI chief will assume office on October 1.
He said the industries need skilled labour force to run their operations, while the Rawalpindi region has no institution to produce the skilled labour force for its industry. A polytechnic institution was working in Rawalpindi in past, which was closed due to unknown reasons, he added.
Rehan said he will raise the matter of the establishment of a polytechnic institution with the prime minister by involving Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed.
"It is imperative to setting up a modern and well-equipped polytechnic institute to reinforce the industrial sector of the region by producing well-trained lot", he added.
Najam Rehan has pledged that he will make efforts for the welfare of the business community besides common people, adding he will reduce Rs 4.5 million overdraft of the Chamber, and also sell out the two commercial plots for taking in hand other development projects.
"It is said that a strong chamber is guarantee for the strong and stable society. My desire is to make the chamber strong, stable and effective", he said, adding: "I want to construct a multi-story commercial tower in the premises of the Rawalpindi Chamber, which will augment the income of the Chamber, and also bring industrialists close to the Chamber.
Talking on the finances of the multi-story commercial tower, he said that different financial institutions, banks, and other organisation will be invited to invest in this Tower. Thanking the RCCI seniors and business community of the area for his election as RCCI president, Najam Rehan said he will use his efforts to come over the expectation of the business community of the region.
He assured that he will make efforts to resolve issues confronting the business community, adding the RCCI following the past practices would continue to act as bridge between the government and trade circles, and play an effective role in resolving the problems of the business community.