The rampant lawlessness and unproportional upsurge in street crimes in Site area have forced over a dozen well-established industrialists of the area to shift their business concerns abroad and left the country.
The growing street crimes and lawlessness in country's biggest industrial estate have also claimed life of one industrialist last week, besides depriving a large number of industrialist of mobile, cash and other precious valuables.
Over dozen industrialists of Site area have settled down in Gulf as well as in some European countries during last two months, while some have already got citizenship of these countries, industry sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
Prominent industrialist Abdul Aziz Khatri, father of five and resident of KDA-IV, was killed at Habib Bank Chowrangi last week, when he resisted an attempt to mobile snatching, while he was on his way home on his car.
It may be pointed out that Site is the largest industrial area of the country, having 3,000 large and small industrial units and generate two billion rupees revenue every day for the national exchequer. The majority of these units are manufacturing textile products, besides other categories like chemical, glass, plastic, steel, heavy mechanical machinery and other products.
According to an estimate over 0.55 million people livelihood is directly or indirectly attached with SITE Industrial Area. Law and order situation in SITE area has been increased manifold in last two to three months.
According to industrialists, some areas turned into no-go area after evening and no one could dare go to these places in night. They marked Habib Bank Chowrangi and Philips Chowrangi as the most dangerous areas and favourite spots of the criminals.
While the lawlessness in the Site is on increase, no security check posts has been set up in the area. In a meeting of office-bearers of Site Association of Industry with Sindh Home Advisor Waseem Akhtar on September 10, it was decided to establish six security check posts of law enforcement agencies in the area on the same day.
But despite passage of more than a week these check posts have not been established on which office bearers of the SITE association has expressed grave apprehensions. The sense of insecurity is compelling the industrialist to leave the country, as life is more precious than the business, they said.
Site Association of Industries Secretary Muhammad Nasim Khan,, told Business Recorder that Inspector General Police Sindh Ziaul Hassan Khan visited the SITE area on Wednesday. He held a crucial meeting with the office-bearers and senior members on the prevalent law and order situation in the area.
A comprehensive strategy was formulated in order to curb the street crimes which have increased many times in last three months, he added. "Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan is also visiting the Site area on Thursday," Naseem said.
The Governor's visit is likely to appease the sentiments of the industrialist over surge in crime graph in the Site area, which has also claimed life of an industrialist while a large number of industrialist were deprived by hooligans of their mobile phones, cash and other valuables.