Industrial estates: Businessmen complain about lack of infrastructure facilities

Say industries are forced to use sub-soil water due to almost no supply from KWSB

KARACHI: The business community of Karachi has hit out at the Sindh government for failure to develop infrastructure for industrial estates of the city, especially SITE, which is the oldest and largest industrial area of the country, as industrialists are forced to use sub-soil water due to almost no regular supply.

Addressing the 'My Karachi Exhibition', organised by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) at Expo Centre Karachi on Friday, the businessmen said Karachi, the largest port city and economic hub of the country, had mostly dilapidated roads and streets whereas water supply and sewerage systems had become obsolete.

Former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli said all seven industrial estates of Karachi should be taken care of and provided better infrastructure. "SITE deserves more attention and support because it has more infrastructure and utility issues," he said.

Teli rejected outright the allegation of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) that industrialists were involved in water theft and complained of unnecessary harassment by KWSB officers.

He asked the chief minister to order the disconnection of water supply in SITE for one week to prove that industries were operating on the same capacity as of today by using the sub-soil water.

About 90% of SITE industries were using sub-soil water due to non-supply of fresh water and instead of ensuring required water supply, KWSB officials had disconnected the sub-soil water lines, accusing the industrialists of water theft, he added.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, responding to the business community's complaints, said growing and flourishing industrial units in Karachi were unacceptable to some people at the helm of affairs. "This is why, they are resorting to prolonged load-shedding just to force the industrialists to shift from Sindh," he claimed.

The chief minister said "Sindh-animosity" was very much visible from policies of the PML-N government. "This is part of your agenda to annoy the industrialists operating in Karachi so that they shift their units from here," he said

He pointed out that they were now using the FIA to stop gas supply to K-Electric so that the restored glory and industrial strength of Karachi could fade away once again.

"I know what you are playing with and why you are playing," he said and vowed "we would not let you succeed in your conspiracies. The people of Sindh have the first right on gas being produced here; this is our constitutional right and we would get our right at any cost."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2018.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.