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PESHAWAR, Feb 25: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said on Wednesday that initiatives had been taken to facilitate tradeand transportation of goods at the Torkham border checkpoint.
Talking to 33-member delegation of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the governor said the traders must concentrate on the promotion of trade and business activities in the province, which would significantly contribute to the economic wellbeing of the people.
He said vast opportunities for trade and industry had emerged in the province and it was up to the entrepreneurs to capitalize on those. He said the volume of trade with Afghanistan through the land route had tremendously increased during the last year, which "reflects the scope for further promotion of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan throughthis route."
He said he had recently talked to Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz on a number of issues. The delegation was led by SCCI President Adil Rauf and Sarhad Tajir Ittehad chief Haji Sharafat Ali Mubarak.
INDUSTRIAL ESTATES: Six sites have been identified in the Khyber Agency and the Kohat Frontier Region for the establishment of small industrial estates in the tribal areas.
NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah approved a 1,000 acre site in the Bara subdivision in Khyber Agency during a presentation given to him on Tuesday. Regarding the sites proposed in the Kohat Frontier Region, he said more places should be identified for the establishment of industrial estates in the area.
He said the sites must be at a reasonable distance from the populated areas and should be easily accessible.
DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES: Talking to a delegation of the Tribal Contractors Association on Tuesday, the governor said speedy completion of schemes in Fata was one of the basic ingredients of the government's development strategy.
The delegation informed the governor about its objections to the contract awarding system in Fata. The governor assured it that the government would provide relief to the contractors.
He reiterated that no irregularity in the system would be overlooked and the people involved would not be pardoned. He directed theauthorities to make the procedure between the award of a contract and the issuance of work order simple and easy. The governor's secretary, Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, and Works and Services Secretary Arshad Mirza were also present.
