President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Ghulam Mustafa Choudary, has said that in order to make vibrant economic activities and industrial development there was a great need of setting up more small industrial estates in this hub of cottage industry of the country.
In an interview with Business Recorder here on Tuesday he said that we have suggested that government should take initiatives for the development of industrial estates along with Sialkot-Daska, Sialkot-Sambrial and Sialkot-Pasrur roads.
The establishment of new estates would be much supportive in reducing the pressure on existing small industrial estate Sialkot as well as provide employment opportunities to the industrial workers at their doorstep, he said. The SCCI President further added that most of SMEs were doing their business in residential area of the city due to lack of proper business locality and the new estates would not only accommodate the SMEs but also vending industry.
The vending industry is an integral part of export industry and there was a need of providing proper place for further accelerating the business activities in this export-oriented city but also accommodating the vending industry, he added.
Mustafa said, we are perusing Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) to select suitable land for the development of new industrial estates at earliest possible. There was a rapid development of garments and sportswear industries in Sialkot but textile industry was confronting with severe shortage of trained skill labour, he disclosed. The SCCI President said that there was an immediate need of setting up of "Training Institute" for producing skilled industrial workers according to local industrial needs.