PESHAWAR: The businessmen associated with the real estate sector have urged the provincial government to announce a special fiscal and tax relief package for them to make up for their losses caused due to the lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

The demand was made by office-bearers of Real Estate Business Forum and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a joint meeting here on Saturday.

The forum president, Haji Rahmat Ali, and SCCI president Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz said Covid-19 had badly affected the construction sector.

Other office-bearers of the forum, including Imadad Hussain Hashmi, Abid Khan, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Faizyab Awan, Iqbal Siddique, Iftikhar Khan and Shahpur Salam were present during the meeting.

The delegation informed the SCCI president about issues of people associated with the real estate sector. The meeting was told that the ban was imposed on transfer of property and transfer of inheritance along with issuance of number and new registry during the prolonged lockdown. They said a large number of people associated with the sector had been rendered jobless.

Ask govt to take steps for revival of construction industry

It was stated that the real estate sector had rapidly declined owing to apathy of the government and the department concerned to resolve issues of this sector.

The businessmen said they had presented their demands to the relevant government authorities, but they did not pay attention. Registry fee, they said, was charged on the basis of floors in Peshawar, but this policy was not implemented in other districts of the province.

The real estate owners demanded the provincial government to take measures for revival and development of the construction industry.

Mr Pervaiz emphasized that the announcement of a comprehensive fiscal relief package for Covid-19- hit real estate sector was inevitable. He urged the provincial government to take steps for provision of relief to revive the businesses hit by the lockdown. He said SCCI would take up these issues with the government soon.

He called upon the government to take initiatives for revival of the construction industry.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2020