LARKANA: The Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has demanded establishment of a branch of State Bank and branches of scheduled banks in the city in order to facilitate trade and business activities.

LCCI president Bashir Ahmed M. Paryal has addressed a letter to the SBP governor in this regard, according to sources.

Tracing the history of efforts, he said the matter was placed before the then SBP governor Dr Shamshad in November 2008 when she visited Larkana to consider setting up of the bank’s branch in the city.

After discussing various aspects, Dr Shamshad had agreed in principle to open an SBP branch here “shortly”, he recalled. The LCCI kept pressing the matter and moved the authorities concerned in 2012 for the allotment of a plot for the building of the proposed branch. A team of SBP officers, in the light of her commitment, visited different sites to find out a suitable place, he said in the letter.

Larkana and its adjoining areas produce guava, rice, tomato and oil seeds and lately a huge Industrial site has also been inaugurated on Airport Road which is almost ready to take off. This area is about to be connected with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and M-8 Motorway soon which will make Larkana a hub of economic activities, according to Mr Paryal.

More than 50 commercial banks functioning here are being monitored through SBP’s Sukkur branch.

The letter stated that the business community and other citizens of Larkana were facing great inconvenience due to unavailability of an SBP branch here.

The LCCI president urged the SBP governor to send a team to the city again to select an ideal site for the branch.

Copies of the letter have also been sent to the chief minister, chief secretary, Larkana commissioner and deputy commissioner.

Businessmen seek withdrawal of POL price hike

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry Altaf Memon has urged Prime Minister Imran Khan, Governor Imran Ismail, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar to resolve business community’s problems and address the city’s civic issues.

Chairing a meeting of conveners of the chamber’s sub-committees here on Sunday, he also demanded withdrawal of the repeated hikes in petroleum prices so that the community could continue with their business easily in 2022.

He said that Hyderabad was not given any mega project and even the pending Benazir flyover project at Hala Naka had not been completed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in its 13 years of rule over the province. He said that no development works were witnessed in education sector while playgrounds were in pathetic state.

He said that prices of petroleum products were increased considerably in 2021 and also with the start of 2022. This would prove disastrous for the country’s economy, he warned.

Senior vice president of the chamber Mohammad Idrees Memon said that Hyderabad contributed highest number of taxes after Karachi. He said due to neglect on the part of Sindh government, Hyderabad was now facing piles of problems.

The industrial zone in the city, he said, was facing destruction but businessmen and industrialists kept paying taxes despite these facing serious issues.

Vice president Masroor Iqbal said that local government institutions had been complaining about lack of funds across 2021 and, as such, they failed to bring any improvement in civic conditions. He said that roads and sewerage infrastructure remained in dilapidated state making lives of people miserable.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2022