KARACHI: Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has said that he is the ambassador of business community and conveys to the government the problems of businessmen and industrialists as their representative.
He said so during a meeting of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI). On the suggestion of business leaders S M Muneer and Faraz-ur-Rehman, representatives of the business community will be inducted into the boards of major institutions, he said.
“I will talk to the government and the governor of State Bank to resolve the LC issues of the export industry,” said Governor Tessori.
He said that in the next few days federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will be visiting the Governor House, Karachi. “On that occasion I will discuss the problems of the business community.”
He said that time had come for the government institutions to fix their problems and perform their duties efficiently.
The problem that is faced by a majority of the business community members involves the supply of electricity and gas, he said. The K-Electric will be asked to ensure an uninterrupted supply of electricity to industrial units.
An honest CEO/MD has been appointed to the water board, but there is corruption at the lower levels. “Steps will be taken to improve the situation.”
Governor Tessori said that he will personally monitor the performance of government officials. Strict action will be taken against encroachers.
Efforts are being made to establish community schools in the city, he said. As soon as he assumed the post of governor, he asked PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to improve the condition of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. “That is the reason why Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan has been requested to head the hospital to improve it,” he said.
The army should not be maligned, he said. An overwhelming majority of military personnel belong to the middle class and they know the problems of the common people.
On the occasion, S M Muneer, the patron-in-chief of KATI, said that Pakistan is suffering from a severe economic crisis, and according to a former finance minister the country is in danger of bankruptcy. In such a situation, the government should give priority to the suggestions given by members of the business community.
Government institutions should induct representatives of the business community as members of their boards to increase their efficiency.
For the first time, he said, a reliable person has been appointed as the MD of water board; all the previous MDs were corrupt people.
“Due to the incompetence of the water board, I shifted from Karachi to Lahore and other industrialists are also shifting from Karachi,” said S M Muneer.
Defamation of the army should end, as things have improved a bit with the appointment of a new army chief. “However, soldiers of Pakistan Army are our heroes who are giving sacrifices regularly,” he said.
KATI President Faraz-ur-Rehman said that the economy is facing difficulties. The problems pertaining to the LC are increasing, and there should be no delay in the payment for raw material import.
In addition to these problems, the industrialists are facing difficulties in getting gas, electricity and so on. The law and order situation in the city is also deteriorating once again.
Zubair Chhaya, the CEO of KITE Limited, pointed out that foreign exchange reserves are depleting, and there is a shortage of dollars. But he expressed confidence that Pakistan will come out of the crisis ultimately.
He said: “We will not allow the cottage industry across the city, including Mehran Town, to be closed. As the representative of the federation, it is hoped that the governor of Sindh will play an important role in solving the problems of the industrialists.”
Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said that the pharma industry has reached the brink of destruction due to the State Bank’s initiatives. Payments are not being made on the import of raw materials, which is not only discrediting the country but also hurting the industry by stopping it from getting raw material.
“Non-payment by the State Bank will save dollars but the industry will be destroyed, and export orders will not be fulfilled due to the non-availability of raw material which will directly affect the income,” added the senator.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022