HYDERABAD: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) president Zubair Tufail has said the Sindh environment department is “harassing” industrialists while it is government’s responsibility to resolve problems of industrialists.

He said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of ‘Industrial Carnival 2017’ late on Friday evening that notices should be issued to industrialists before taking any action against industrial units. The exhibition was organised by the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI).

Mr Tufail said the government was trying to increase energy production and in this regard a 1,320 megawatts plant was going to start production in Karachi soon. Hyderabad traders and businessmen would be included in trade exhibitions to be organised by the Trade Development Authority in different countries and their names could be included in a China-bound delegation as well, he said.

He said he had talked to the prime minister to bring prices of petroleum products under control before the prices suddenly dropped. Rates of gas tariff would also drop shortly and cost of industrial production would improve, which would ultimately benefit consumers, he said.

FPCCI former senior vice president Khalid Tawwab praised holding the industrial exhibition amid present conditions and said that since Sindh produced gas, industrialists of the province must have first right to use it.

He claimed that energy shortfall would come to an end by 2018 and said chairman of Federal Board of Revenue had assured the FPCCI that directives had been issued to stop raids on shops and offices.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2017