PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday performed the groundbreaking of the Jalozai Economic Zone in Nowshera district.

The zone’s development by the KP Economic Zones Development and Management Company over 257 acres of land is likely to generate 50,000 direct and indirect jobs and attract Rs6 billion investment, said a statement issued here.CM Mahmood Khan termed the groundbreaking a historic event, which, he said, marked the beginning of the rapid industrialisation in KP.

“Jalozai will prove a game-changer for the region due to its strategic location,” he said.

Mr Mahmood said the government had planned to improve industrial output through the establishment of new zones for the economic prosperity of the people.

Promises rapid industrialisation in the province

He also planted a sapling on the premises to inaugurate a tree plantation campaign under the Clean and Green Pakistan programme in the zone.

EZDMC CEO Javed Khattak told the chief minister that the company had expedited efforts towards industrialisation, especially to build a sustainable agro-based industrial ecosystem in southern KP and capitalise on the CPEC route and interchange, which promises hundreds of thousands of jobs, and huge international investments.

He said the project would provide impetus to investments in the upcoming projects.

The statement said the new economic zone will accommodate Pakistan hunting and sporting arms cluster that will revive the livelihood of the skilled labor associated with it and also provide projection to the regularisation of the potential market of hunting and sporting arms production in the region.

The statement said due to the availability of labour in Jalozai, industries including pharmaceutical, food processing, construction, marble and granite, food packaging and furniture would benefit from the investment in the zone.

It said that the well-placed zone connects with Peshawar and Islamabad through M-1 Motorway. It said that the located in the proximity of Peshawar, adjacent to University of Engineering and Technology Jalozai campus and new housing schemes in the locality, this zone offers promising potentials to the enterprising locals who either intend to expand their industrial presence or want to come up with new start-ups.

The statement said that industrial products from Jalozai could find themselves in high demand areas like Afghanistan, Central Asia, China and urban centres in the region.

It said that regarding provision of all necessary utilities to the zone, EZDMC is already negotiating with the Provincial Housing Authority for the supply of 5 to 10MW power from the 132KV grid through 11KV feeder planned for nearby housing society.

The statement said 5mmcfd gas was planned to be provided through an SMS that is approximately one kilometer away from the zone.

Despite high land cost in the vicinity, the EZMDC has kept the price of plots subsidized to promote industrialisation.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2020