Sindh Industries Minister Rauf Siddiqi has said that only business community is capable to steer the country out of present financial crises and this temporary phase will be over soon. He was speaking as chief guest on the occasion of launching ceremony of flagship magazine "Voice of Industry" highlighting the activities of SITE Association of Industry at a local hotel.
Rauf Siddiqi said that he had been looking after the affairs of Sindh Industrial Trading Estates Ltd, very closely and his department has decided to spend 80 percent of recovery from any industrial area to be spent in the same area to improve its infrastructure.
These are Karachi, Super Highway, Nooriabad, Kotri, Hyderabad, Sukkar, Nawabshah and newly established industrial estates in Larkana and Khairpur. In this context he referred water pipeline project at Nooriabad Industrial Area which he said would be completed in next 3 months thus
making it the largest industrialist area in the country and enabling it to generate vast employment. The Minister said: "We are in the process of constructing a bridge that will facilitate all major roads inside SITE Area and also repairing 14 roads all in the heart of SITE Karachi".
Referring to industrial units established on sewerage drains, he pointed out that these were established during the previous governments and their removal now has become almost impossible. He said some modern techniques would be used to open choked gutter lines and natural nallahs so that flow of sewerage water and effluent does not stop and continue to drop into Lyari River and Sea.
He assured the industrialists that government would provide them all faculties to keep their units operative with peace of mind. On the question of development of industrial areas in Sindh he said, "If there is a will, there is a way and we are doing this even when SITE Ltd is in serious financial crisis."
Our income is only generated from Karachi mainly or SITE Highway Estates but our major budget is heading for interior Sindh, said the Minister. He said infrastructural changes are in full swing in the interior of Sindh, particularly in Larkana, Nawabshah, Khairpur and Nooriabad industrial area.
He informed that a 31 Km state of the art (HTP Pipes) pipeline was being laid at a record cost of Rs 1.6 billion and this project would be completed within three months, once and for all solving the basis problems of the people and industry in Nooriabad.
He said the provincial government has provided Rs 250 million each for infrastructure development of four industrial zones of the city including Federal B. Area, Korangi, North Karachi and Landhi, while federal government had also assured to provide matching grant, which has not been disbursed so far.
He expressed the hope that Zardari will soon direct the concerned authorities to disburse the allocation of Rs 250 million each for four industrial zones in the city. Commenting on the foreign investment the minister said that Saudi Arab had purchased valuable land here for cultivation and to launch Agro-Based projects in Nawabshah.
They have shown keen interest and are making investment in different areas. He also assured industrialists that he would not tolerate harassment of industrialists by inspectors of various departments. Industrialists are carrying out production activities in a very difficult time, he added.
He congratulated the SITE Association of Industry especially Salim Parekh, Chairman, Sanaullah Abdullah, Chairman Publication and his team consisting of Ahsan Arshad Ayub and Ali Ahmed for bringing out such a tremendous data based and informative magazine which is the need of the time and it should be continued. He suggested that to make it monthly magazine instead of quarterly magazine and publish it on commercial basis.
He said he would propose to Sindh Government to issue a letter of Performance to the SITE Association and Chief Editor, Sanaullah Abdullah for bringing out such a beautiful magazine. Siraj Kassam Teli, Patron-in-Chief of S.I.T.E. Association of Industry in his address urged the minister to personally ensure that the bottlenecks in the infrastructure improvement projects are removed in the national interest and specially for Sindh Province otherwise we will be no where.
He also congratulated the Chief Editor Sanaullah Abdullah and his team and the publisher for reviving the old magazine and bringing out such a beautiful magazine in it place which foundation was laid down by him in his tenure. Zubair Motiwala, Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh in his address stressed upon taking concrete measures to reduce cost of doing business. He also congratulated Sanaullah Abdullah, Chief Editor and his team for bringing out the Voice of Industry in a new beautiful design.
Earlier Chairman S.I.T.E. Association Salim Parekh in his welcome note severely criticising the bureaucracy complained that infrastructure development projects have stopped while industrialists are running from pillar to post. He urged the minister to pay special attention to the working of SITE Limited so that the industrialists/investors could do their work peacefully and contribute too the development of country and particularly industrialisation on modern lines.