April 5, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1427

ISLAMABAD, April 4: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has demanded of the government to allow duty-free import of cement from India to arrest the constant increase in prices in the domestic market. The ICCI President Abdul Rauf in a statement issued on Tuesday said that the Monopoly Control Authority (MCA) had failed to clip the wings of flying prices of products such as cement which has risen to Rs400 from Rs258 per bag.

He said that Pakistani cement was exported to Afghanistan for reconstruction purpose creating shortage of cement in the country. He said government should ban export of cement and allow import of cement from India on trucks, he reiterated.

He said to cope with the situation the duty free import of cement should be allowed from the neighbouring countries including India.

He said that in the past cement factories were operational at their 60 per cent potential, which was now enhanced to 100 per cent and 4-5 new factories were also ready for production.

However, he said, it was a matter of concern that with 60 per cent potential the cement price was Rs258 per bag which had mounted with the increase in capacity. The increase in demand should not be stigmatized as rise in price, he added.

Presently, the construction activities are in full swing but if the cement crisis continued it would greatly affect this sector posing a threat to millions of employees.

The government is going to launch mega projects of water reservoirs which will also need cement and it is, therefore, imperative to resolve the cement problem on a priority basis.