KARACHI, Sept 3: An exclusive industrial estate for women entrepreneurs is being set up at the Small Scale Industrial Estate on Superhighway.

Applications have been invited from women entrepreneurs for 250 and 500 square yard plots to set up export-oriented cottage industries.

The special women zone spread on 30 acres will accommodate manufacturing units, headed by lady entrepreneurs, and will be the first such zone in Pakistan.

Hundreds of applications for allotment of plots have been received and Nadra will hold a balloting to choose successful bidders.

The zone, which will have small and medium size cottage industries, is equipped with electricity, gas, water, roads, hospital, mosque, community centre and a women bank.

President of Sindh Women Chambers of Commerce and Industry Rukhsana Jahangir told Dawn that it was for the first time that an exclusive industrial estate for business women had been set up.

She said business women had been invited to set up small and medium cottage industries, especially carpet making units, plastic goods factory, weaving and embroidery units, as well as jewellery-making units.

Export-oriented industries would be given preference, and it is hoped that industrial units would start production in a year after the allotment.

The women industrial zone will be part of a small industrial estate set up at a cost of Rs304 million by the Sindh government on 100 acres.

Secretary of Industries Rasool Bux Phulpoto told Dawn that the ministry had received about 8,000 applications for 300 plots.

Mananging Director Sindh Small Scale Industries Corporation said that it was the first small industrial estate set up in Karachi in a record period of two years.

Meanwhile, notices have been issued to owners of plots in different industrial estates, who have not yet built factories on their plots to explain reasons for not utilising industrial plots within two years of allotment.

Sources said such plots would be cancelled and would be allotted to genuine industrialists.

In order to expedite the process of industrialisation in interior cities, the minister of industries had directed the authorities to provide gas, water and electricity to industrial estates in the interior. Industrial activity in these zones had been adversely affected due to lack of infrastructure.