March 30, 2006	Thursday	Safar 29, 1427

KARACHI, March 29: Industries and Production Minister Jahangir Khan Tareen on Wednesday directed National Industrial Parks (NIP) Development and Management Company to open regional offices throughout the country to set up industrial estates.

Talking to APP after chairing a meeting of the Board of Directors of NIP here, the minister said the regional offices would set up industrial estates and parks near every city wherever these were needed.

The setting up of industrial estates with all modern infrastructures and free from cumbersome procedures and formalities would help accelerate industrialization in the country, he added.

Indonesia, he said, had established 250 industrial estates and similarly Pakistan should establish such facilities throughout the country which would help reduce the cost of services and utilities.

He said NIP would acquire land as per the requirement of every city, develop it, provide electricity, gas, water and sanitation, world class road networking, telecommunication services and manage the estate according to the wishes of investors.

The minister said the success of the Sundar Industrial Estate near Lahore had encouraged the setting up of more industrial estates on the same pattern. He added that industrialists in Gujranwala had called for developing an industrial estate near the city from where exports had grown from $50 million a couple of years ago to $500 million.

Similarly, he said industrial estates near all industrial cities would be developed which would help install effluent treatment plants to meet the international environmental standards.

Replying to a query, he said Wapda had been asked to supply electricity in bulk, leaving distribution and maintenance of lines up to the estate management.

“We are trying to have a similar arrangement for other utilities so that investors get connections from the office of the estate management.” He said NIP would provide all sort of solutions under one roof and within the precincts of the industrial estate.

Mr Tareen said land mafia should not be allowed in the industrial estates to ensure that the price of land remained under control and available for the investors at reasonable rates.