KARACHI, Jan 18: The Landhi Industrial Area (LIA), one of the largest chains of industrial estates in the country, is devoid of basic civic amenities.

The LIA, with more than 100 large-scale manufacturing units, lacks proper infrastructure including roads, sewerage, streetlights and water supply.

Most of the roads in the area serving export needs are in a dilapidated condition and leave a poor impression on foreign buyers who visit the factories. Taking foreign buyers to the factories is an arduous task for the factory-owners.

The road which leads from Dawood Chorangi to DMC East is in a pitiable condition with large craters on. It sometimes jeopardizes the lives of commuters.

Another road, which leads from Dawood Chorangi to Nagaria Textile Mills and Gul Ahmed Textile Mills, is completely damaged and has not been repaired by the authorities for a long time. The area opposite these mills also needs to be put in a decent shape.

The Al-Karam/Hussain road is utterly bad. The work on the Mehran Highway is also at a standstill, which is creating hurdles in the movement of traffic.

The area is facing acute sewerage problems as the trunk sewer gets choked every now and then, resulting in accumulation of filth in various areas close to the factories. This creates unhygienic conditions and causes substantial damage to the roads.

The LIA requires large quantities of water to keep the industrial wheel in motion as the majority of the industries consist of large-scale manufacturing units.But the water being supplied to these industries is insufficient for their operational requirements.

The area industrialists have urged the government to provide facilities, including land, for setting up a water treatment plant in the vicinity.

Encroachments are another problems the industrialists are having to face. These encroachments include construction of rooms on the roadside off Dawood Cotton and Excel Textile. A large number of vacant plots have also been encroached upon. The industrials and traders of the area have demanded that the government undertake a survey of these encroachments and remedial strides be taken at the earliest.—PPI