Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Small Industries Development Board (SIDB) would acquire a piece of land measuring 1,000-kanals on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway near Charsadda Interchange for establishment of 'Carpet Nagar This was stated in a presentation to Khyber-Pakhtunhwa Minister for Industries, Ahmad Hussein Shah during the presentation of two-year performance of SIDB.
The minister was informed that SIDB has already launched the project under the supervision of professionals from the private sector. The provincial government has allocated an amount of rupees 100 million in the its annual development programme for financial year 2010-2011 for purchasing of land for the purpose. He was also informed that SIDB has planned to establish Carpet Nagar Development Company to develop and streamline carpet sector of the province.
Shah was informed that Carpet Nagar will directly and indirectly create job opportunities for 15,000 people in Peshawar as well as other districts of the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Currently, a large number of hand-made Pakistani and Iranian carpets are being exported to different countries for official and domestic use on demand and sufficient foreign exchange for the country.
However, no proper infrastructure is available to support the manufacturing at a single location and environmental hazards are being faced due to manual washing and dying of carpets in the province. The minister constituted a committee of SIDB officers headed by Managing Director SIDB, Dr Syed Akhter Hussain Shah. On the occasion, Dr Akhtar Hussein gave a presentation. Secretary Industries, Fazal Karim Khattak was also present on the occasion.
The Carpet Nagar development company has to guide and assist members, their units and other allied beneficiaries in products designing, production process to develop and enhance co-ordination amongst the members of the association, their access to market and other stakeholders/investors. It is to strive for improvement of working conditions and welfare of workforce in their trade and create opportunities gainful for employment, improve livelihood of the youth of the region and will also provide residential accommodation to the couple of flood effected peoples/area.
The initiative will create new avenues of employment through creation and establishment of new enterprise in the carpet sector at the village level and provide market access mechanism to local people by producing carpet at the local as well export level. Carpet Nagar will also help uplift the socio-economic condition of youths by generating economic activities in the rural areas of KP in general and Peshawar region in particular.