Rs1.1b uplift project approved for SITE

Industrialists say zone plagued by broken roads, clogged sewers,

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh Secretary Industries Abdul Rasheed Solangi has said the infrastructure rehabilitation works at Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) Hyderabad will start soon under Rs1.1 billion scheme approved by the provincial government.

Addressing the business community at Hyderabad Chamber of Small Trade and Small Industry on Sunday, he assured that once the allocated budget is released and the tender is floated, a committee of industrialists will be formed to oversee the project's execution. He briefed that Hyderabad SITE area was developed over 1,264 acres of land out of 1,950 acres which was given to the SITE department. There are 497 functional industries, he added. He informed that a new industrial zone on 1,700 acres is also being established on Hyderabad-Tando Muhammad Khan road.

The industrialists and investors stated the problems like blocked drains, sewage water entering the industries, and the destruction of the drainage system, and they demanded that measures be taken for rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads and drainage.

He appreciated that the recommendations of the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries have always been presented with complete statistics and practical suggestions, and only with the help of these recommendations and suggestions has the Sindh government approved one billion 10 crore rupees. He said that a monthly meeting of all stakeholders will be convened at the chamber's secretariat every month to review the infrastructure maintenance of the SITE.

He further said that the government was looking for another industrial zone around Hyderabad with 1700 acres of land on Tando Muhammad Khan Road. The construction of an industrial zone will also start there soon. Along with this, there was a great opportunity for industrialists and capitalists to set up industries in the Dhabeji Economic Zone. The prices of plots will also be fixed with the advice of the industrialists of Sindh so that the maximum number of industries can be settled.

Earlier, Chamber President Muhammad Farooq Shaikhani welcomed the approval of 1.1 billion rupees for the infrastructure of SITE Hyderabad by the Government of Sindh. Site Hyderabad has more than 300 large and small industries, and less than 100 of them were functioning, and the rest were closed due to uncertain economic conditions and a lack of good infrastructure.

Shaikhani said that there was a dire need for more industrial zones in a city like Hyderabad. The Sindh government should allocate land for industrial zones at reasonable prices and provide all the basic facilities for industries there. He said that every government in the world was working on infrastructure under a public-private partnership. The government of Sindh should also follow the same policy in its projects so that these works can be done on an emergency basis with transparency. Former President Daulat Ram Lohana, Aamir Shahab, Khalil Baloch, Sharif Poonjani, Khalid Sheikh, Aslam Bhawani, and others were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2023.