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 is a great need of setting up more small industrial estates in this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry of the country.
In an informal chat with Business Recorder 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 SCCI President urged upon the government to take initiatives for setting up a training institute for producing trained and skilled manpower for the industrial sector of Sialkot.
At this juncture Sialkot business community was facing serious shortage of trained and skilled manpower in different industries and under the circumstances there was a great need of setting up of training institute in this export city he said. The SCCI President said that induction of trained and skilled workforce in industrial sector would not only help in improving the quality of products but also enhance the productivity to many folds.
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 and hub of cottage industry 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 the earliest. There was a rapid development of Garments and Sportswear industries in Sialkot but textile industry is confronting with severe shortage of trained skill labour, he disclosed.