April 2, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 29, 1424

KARACHI, April 1: Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) chairman S.M. Naseem has expressed concern over non-release of fund from the Export Development Fund (EDF) for the completion of combined effluent treatment plant (CETP) in Korangi industrial area.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the PTA chairman said that holding back of the balance amount of Rs160 million out of the total agreed funds of Rs340 million had put the project in jeopardy.

The combined effluent treatment plant is a project of the PTA (southern zone) Environmental Society. Therefore, the government is committed to paying 70 per cent of the cost and the remaining 30 per cent is to be shared by the association, he maintained.

He said 80 per cent work had been completed and the remaining 20 per cent had been held up for want of necessary funding to be released by the government. If these funds are not released immediately the work will stop completely. Gulzar Firoz, chairman of the Environmental Society, has already informed the EPB and the Ministry of Commerce in this respect.

The PTA chairman said if the required funds were not released on time crores of rupees so far spent on this project would go waste as the PTA would not be able to accomplish the project through its own resources. Mr Naseem feared that if the project is left uncompleted, the leather industry will be severely affected, particularly in the wake of forthcoming WTO regime.