After participating in a meeting held in FDA on the special directive of Mian Aslam Iqbal Provincial Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment, the FCCI President told that the FDA had completed survey of industrial clusters sprawling in different parts of the city.

He said the meeting discussed the issues regarding the regularization of these clusters. However, it was decided that the meeting will recommend to the industries department to issue a formal notification for the regularization of three industrial clusters on priority basis.

The meeting was also attended by Director General FDA Amir Aziz in addition to representative of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA), Director General Industry, Prices, Weights and Measures, District Officer Industries, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA), PTEA, Chief Officer Zila Council, DMD Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and Chairman Punjab Small Industries Corporation, he added. Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain said that most of the industrial units were located outside the thickly populated city areas which were inhabited by people in later phase.

He said that FDA had conducted survey and identified nine industrial clusters including Khurarianwala, Millat Industrial Estate, Sargodha Road, Maqbool Road, Jhumra Road, Odeon Street, Dost Street, Sammundri Road, Rehmanabad and Ghulam Muhammad Abad.

However, government departments are of the view that three industrial clusters including Millat Industrial Estate and Sargodha Road may be regularized immediately while Apparel, Embroidery and stitching units presently situated in congested residential areas may also be allowed to continue their operation at the same site but the water intensive industry must be shifted to M-3 Industrial estate, he said. The meeting also agreed to recommend immediate shifting of all utilities including gas, electricity and WASA connections, whereas, the existing connection would be permanently discounted for the wet industry.