SIALKOT, April 21: Water has started seeping through the roofs of recently constructed Allama Iqbal Labour Colony’s 500 flats. This critical situation has been creating problems for the residents of the colony built along the Sialkot-Pasrur Road under the supervision of Punjab labour department.

Expressing grave concern over this critical situation, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Dr Nouman Idrees Butt and senior vice-president Faisal Mahmood Khan said the cause behind the seepage was stated to be some technical faults and poor construction.

They said there were no streetlights in the colony due to which it plunged into darkness as soon as sun sets. There was no proper security in the colony as the guards deputed there have already been called back by the labour department. The boundary wall of the colony was very low.

There was no proper sanitation and cleanliness system and heaps of garbage could be seen in the colony.

They regretted that a dispensary and a utility store promised for the colony have not yet built.

It may be recalled President Pervaiz Musharraf had laid the foundation stone of the colony on September 30, 2000. Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had distributed the keys of the flats among the labourers and industrial workers during a special ceremony held here on April 1, 2005.

When contacted, district nazim Akmal Cheema said the administration has brought the situation into the notice of the Punjab government.

Exporters: The Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association chairman has urged exporters of surgical instruments to focus on diversification of traditional to non-traditional export items besides exploring new international markets.

At a meeting here on Thursday, Naeem Anwar Qureshi said the local exporters had a potential to capture international markets by exporting their best quality traditional and non-traditional items.

He said the environment was conducive for foreign investment in Pakistan as business-friendly policies and special packages of incentives had been attracting investors. He said the government would encourage the private sector and philanthropists’ maximum participation at every level for providing better basic facilities to the masses.

Mr Qureshi claimed the government had put the country’s economy on the right direction of economic stability. It was making efforts for increasing exports besides creating a strong industrial base through the provision of maximum job opportunities to the unemployed youth.

He said the government was also making efforts for making the privatisation process transparent. It had also focused on revival of sick industrial units, besides establishing maximum units for providing a strong industrial base and creating maximum job opportunities.

The SIMA chairman urged the overseas Pakistanis to invest in the projects of the Sialkot Export Processing Zone and the Sialkot International Airport for making them successful projects.