The Sindh government deserves to be applauded for having taken a belated but much needed decision with regard to the sale of industrial plots. The province's Minister for Industries and Commerce, Rauf Siddiqui, announced at a press conference on Thursday that the government would impose a ban on the sale and purchase of industrial plots.
Strict action would be taken, he said, against those who acquire a plot for industrial purpose and then sell the same without setting up any industrial unit. This would include a monthly fine while the rent would be increased manifold in case a buyer fails to set up an industry within the period allowed under the terms and conditions of allotment. All those who apply for industrial plots would be required to submit an affidavit to the effect that they would set up industrial units on the plots allotted to them.
This is a simple yet crucial requirement yet it has taken so long for Sindh - which within the domestic context has been the leader in establishing industrial estates - to do the needful. As a result, speculators have had a field day at the expense of genuine business people, selling and reselling industrial plots to make money, and thus rendering them unfeasible and unattractive for the original purpose. It is hardly surprising if the new industrial zones are not humming with activity.
An idea of the scope of the scam can be had from the minister's revelation that in many industrial zones some unscrupulous elements have "eliminated" land allotment record. The managements of all industrial zones have now been asked to computerise record of industrial plots and units within their respective jurisdiction in 48 days' time. Which is reassuring as regards the future. It is important that all those responsible for the fraud and its cover-up are taken to task. It is also imperative for the government to identify other ills and clean up this mess.
It may be of no use to complain about the past acts of omission or commission, yet one cannot but wonder why the provincial government did not take the necessary measures at the time it started setting up special industrial zones. When Punjab, a late bloomer in the field and an otherwise favourite playground of residential plot speculators, launched the Sunder Industrial Estate back in 2003, it took certain steps to ensure that only those having a genuine interest in acquiring industrial plots got them.
What is a bit discomforting about the Sindh industries minister's assertions is that he is still talking in terms of a proposal, not a firm announcement. The provincial government must put its act together and fulfil the necessary legal requirements before the allotment of plots in the new phase of the Hyderababd Industrial Estate begins - which is only about two weeks away.