HYDERABAD, Jan 4: The DCO has said Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has ordered the release of Rs390 million, out of Rs700 million that lapsed due to non-utilization, to improve the infrastructure of Hyderabad.

The DCO, Mohammad Hussain Syed, was speaking at a reception hosted by the managing director, Indus Industry, Ikram Rajput, for the newly-elected president and executive committee members of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday.

He expressed his satisfaction over development schemes of the district and said the people would witness a change in Hyderabad in February. He invited the HCCI to check the quality of the work and inform the DCO office if it found any fault in the schemes.

The DCO said school buildings in the district were being repaired and asked the HCCI for suggestions in respect of schools which were functioning under the district government.

He appreciated the services of the president of the chamber in social and economic fields. Speaking on the occasion, MPA Imamuddin Shouqeen stressed the need for increasing the literacy rate as he said education was necessary for the development of the country.

HCCI president Emad Siddiqui said the infrastructure of Hyderabad, specially roads and sewerage, had been destroyed. He said businessmen of the district were paying taxes to the tune of Rs17.5 billion per year. He said the development package of Rs10.5 billion for Hyderabad was not enough keeping in view the taxes they paid.

He said entrepreneurs were prepared to invest in the industrial sector but they were discouraged due to red-tapism. Mr Siddiqui said industrial plots were short in Hyderabad SITE and entrepreneurs had to pay Rs300,000 per acre as transfer fee to the SITE. He said the transfer fee was Rs30,000 per acre in the Kotri industrial area.

He demanded that the Sindh government should maintain uniformity in the transfer fee. He hailed the decision to acquire 300 acres to extend Hyderabad SITE and suggested an export processing zone should be established on 100 acres.

He said the chamber had submitted a site plan to the government for approval.The HCCI president pointed out that the chamber had offered to share losses, if any, if the PIA introduced flights from Hyderabad.