LAHORE: Industrialists of Ferozepur Road on Saturday called on the commissioner and sought his help after the city administration had FIRs lodged against many of them in the recent days “for not taking adequate measures to prevent dengue.”

They also spoke up about other issues including law and order, and encroachment.

“The criminal cases related to dengue control are being registered against us on the direction of the assistant commissioners and it seems a target of achieving certain number of FIRs has been fixed,” Arshad Baig, chairman of the Ferozepur Road Industrial Zone, deplored in a meeting with Commissioner Asif Bilal Lodhi.

Mr Baig who was heading a delegation comprising office-bearers of the industrial zone said the owners of the units where about 114,000 people including 20,000 women work have to visit courts and hire lawyers to get bails or pay fines due to FIRs. “It wastes time and energy of the industrialists and their staff. Had the government held meetings and orientation sessions on dengue with them, it could have averted such a situation,” he said.

They also told the commissioner about the crime incidence and encroachment. “We spent around Rs25 million for drainage project in the zone four or five years ago but this project is still incomplete since the government didn’t give its due share of funds. Similarly, the small industrial units’ owners are being forced to have wastewater treatment plants worth millions of rupees,” he said.

The commissioner directed the ACs to avoid getting FIRs lodged against the businessmen and hold meetings for ensuring adequate cleanliness measures to avert dengue. He also asked the Wasa administration and police to resolve the issues related to wastewater treatment, metered connections, water tariff and law and order.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) has condemned the impounding of the containers loaded with export goods by the law-enforcement agencies in various cities of Punjab.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2019