HYDERABAD: Sindh industries secretary Abdul Rasheed Solangi has announced formation of coordination committee, headed by him, for the industrial areas of Kotri, Hyderabad and Nooriabad. He said Sindh government was endeavouring to revive closed industrial units in the province.

Addressing a gathering of industrialists in the office of the SITE Association of Trade and Industry here on Saturday, he said that schemes worth Rs4bn were approved for industrial zones’ development as announced by the federal government. He said that Rs1bn had already been released for these schemes.

Mr Solangi said three members each from these industrial zones would be inducted in the coordination committee, which would meet every month.

According to him, the minister for industries would chair meetings of the committee after every three months. He said government was committed to provide basic infrastructural facilities to industrial areas to increase economic activities.

He pledged that the issues of SITE Phase-II, stretched over 300 acres, would be resolved and illegal occupation would be done away. He said that last year schemes worth Rs1bn were designed but these could not be approved due to slackness of officers and industrialists. These schemes were now being revived.

Out of SITE Ltd. Funds, execution of schemes worth Rs40m were under way and 40pc of the work had been completed.

The remaining work, he said, was pending due to non-payment of Rs10m to contractors.

SITE Association president Shahid Kaimkhani told the meeting that SITE area’s water lines were 30-40 years old due to which 75pc area of its remained without water. He said its filtration plant was given to Wasa, but the plant was not providing water to the SITE as issue of tariff was pending with Wasa. Likewise, he said, sewerage system was also facing destruction. He said SITE area doesn’t have treatment plant.

He complained that the environment and other departments were harassing industrialists on different pretexts. He also complained that payment for plots in 300-acre SITE Phase-II was made but plots were not yet allotted to industrialists.

Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries (HCCI) senior vice president Najmuddin Qureshi, Hyderabad Chamber of Small Industry and Small Traders president Farooq Shaikhani, Daal Mills Association president Salahuddin Qureshi, Khalil Baloch of the Jamshoro Chamber of Commerce also complained that the industrial sector in Sindh was facing decay.

They said that Wasa had been thrust upon industries and estate engineers of SITE limited knew nothing. They said that three letters were written to managing director SITE Limited but none was replied. They said that anti- encroachment department of SITE remained dysfunctional, adding that Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and SITE Limited had no mutual coordination. They said only 87 out of 300 units at Hyderabad SITE were working. If these conditions persisted, then even these 87 could would shut down.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2023