April 04, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 3: A controversial international wholesale centre opened to business here at I-11 near Fruit and Vegetable Market on Thursday.

City fathers, who leased a 9-acre plot for the Metro Cash and Carry centre, claimed “people” would get all necessities of life at the centre.

But the Germany-based chain’s website and advertisements in local newspapers clearly said that only “commercial customers”, registered with Metro are allowed to purchase at its Islamabad store, “in large quantities”.

“This means that the company does not sell to private end customers,” a press release of the company said.

“Our core customers are small and medium-sized traders as well as hotel, restaurant and catering businesses and other companies and institutions,” announces the company website.

Metro International’s Chief Executive Officer Frans W. H. Muller met Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani before the inauguration of its Islamabad centre and informed him that the company intended to open business in other cities of Pakistan also in the next three years with a total investment of Rs20 billion.

Metro officials said the prime minister termed the centre a good addition to food and general merchandise sector in Pakistan and said the company’s initiative and plans would encourage other foreign companies to invest in the country.

Mr Muller told the prime minister that his company planned to set up business in Multan which is a major mango growing area.

It is the second store opened by Metro after the one launched in Lahore last October. The newest store is meant to facilitate the business community of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Last year, some legislators had accused the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of leasing out nine acres of land to the international wholesale company “cheap and illegally”.

CDA officials had admitted to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior then that the company had started constructing its store at the site without seeking approval of its site plan.

Members of the committee had taken umbrage as the CDA had denied that it had granted the lease.

The committee had questioned the CDA after learning that it had leased out the company a nine-acre plot for 30 years for Rs435 million at the rate of Rs10,000 per square yard when the market rate was 30 times higher.

The CDA officials had told the committee that bids had been called from foreign companies for the wholesale market project and six firms participated in it. But the committee members said no advertisements were put out in this regard.