KARACHI, April 15: Sindh Industries and Labour Minister Adil Siddiqui has said that balloting for over 120 plots in the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) will be held within a couple of weeks.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) head office on Thursday, he said that an independent organization would be hired to hold the balloting to ensure transparency.
He said that over 220 old applications, which had been pending for years, were reviewed. Since none of those applications could qualify all were rejected and new applications were called. The minister said that over 4,800 application forms - which cost Rs5,000 each - were sold and over 4,260 people had submitted back the completed forms. Around 15 to 20 overseas Pakistanis had also applied for the plots, he added.
He said that the SITE earned over Rs24.4 million by selling the forms and a total amount of Rs1.4 billion had been submitted by the applicants alongwith their completed forms.
The forms would be scrutinized by a committee, he said adding that those meeting all the criteria will be sent for balloting that would be organized by an independent organization to maintain the transparency.
Mr Siddiqui said that 120 half-acre plots had been carved out from 85 acres. Giving a break-up, he said that approximately 50 acres which were reserved for the information technology related industries and 35 acres which were encroached upon by influential people were got vacated for these plots. He said that the price for each plot had been fixed at Rs1.6 million.
He said that the SITE was also in the process of obtaining 10,000 acres - 5,000 acres near the new Sabzimandi and another 5,000 acres near Nooriabad on the Super Highway - to develop two new industrial estates.
The minister was of the view that the interest taken by such a large number of people and submission of so many applications for the plots showed that the confidence of investors had been restored. After the balloting, he said, if the unsuccessful applicants did not take their withdraw their money, they would be entitled to get the plots in the new estates without balloting.
SESSI: The minister said that the government was making efforts to supplement benefits and facilities being provided to workers. He said that the total number of secured workers registered with the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) two years back was around 196,000 while at present the number of secured workers had reached near 273,000.
Mr Siddiqui said that workers earning up to Rs5,000 per month and employed in an organization where at least five workers working, were entitled to get registered with the SESSI as secured workers. SESSI charges seven per cent of the secured workers' wages.
He said that the SESSI generated around Rs500 million two years back, while this year it would generate around Rs700 million. He said that medical facilities at SESSI hospitals had been improved and many new expensive and modern equipment had been installed at its various hospitals.
A modern kidney centre, constructed by the Workers Welfare Board, was also being handed over to the SESSI, he added. When asked about the misuse of ambulances by doctors and their families and non-provision of information and data from the SESSI hospitals, the minister said that he would immediately look into the matter.