ISLAMABAD: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon on Wednesday asked the business community to play their role in enforcing civic laws and helping the local administration in reducing violations in the city.

Addressing the business community during a visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Mr Memon said the water table in Islamabad was going down primarily due to excessive extraction by relentless boring.

“Due to the consistent water boring in Islamabad, water tables have gone very low and water shortage could develop into a serious crisis in future,” Mr Memon said.

He said the business community should raise its voice against this issue for its optimum solution and should cooperate in curbing frauds in cooperative housing societies.

The DC pointed out that commercial interest and tax payment was not the only responsibility of the business community.

Like large businesses and multinationals, even smaller businesses and traders should abide by the principals of corporate social responsibilities (CSR), he said..

“We have serious issue of construction of buildings or extension over natural streams or nullahs in Islamabad. The business community should cooperate with the capital administration as well as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) in addressing this issue,” he said.

Mr Memon expressed concerns that the green face and the scenic structure of Islamabad was getting spoiled due to human negligence and the authorities cannot cope with this challenge alone.

The ICCI members were also asked to arrange fire alarms, fire extinguishers and water tanks in commercial and industrial buildings as the firstline to counter any accident or eventuality.

The DC said the authorities would facilitate the owners and tenants of commercial and industrial buildings in establishing firefighting infrastructure.

Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari highlighted various issues of the business community that needed the attention of the deputy commssioner for redress.

He said many yardsticks and regulations of the capital administration were unnecessary and needed to be revised in consultation with the ICCI.

“We have been asking for the opening of two underground parking lots in Jinnah Super Market, which will ease congestion in that commercial area,” he said, adding shifting of courts from F-8 Markaz should be expedited.

However, officials informed the meeting that the judicial complex for district courts had been constructed in G-11 and the lower courts were expected to be shifted to the complex by the end of next month.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2022