Faisalabad launches major push to relocate polluting industries

The Faisalabad divisional administration has identified large tracts of state land in Jaranwala and adjoining areas for shifting polluting and hazardous industrial units from densely populated urban zones to rural industrial estates, officials said on Friday.

Talking to newsmen, Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) Director General Chaudhary Muhammad Asif said proposals had been forwarded to the district land collectorate to review and cancel previously auctioned private lease agreements on identified state land to facilitate the relocation plan.

He said the administration has also submitted multiple proposals to the Punjab government for the establishment of at least two dedicated industrial zones to relocate 111 hazardous industrial units operating within the city.

Each proposed zone would span around 200 acres, with an estimated development cost of Rs1 billion per zone.

Asif said a comprehensive summary, earlier prepared under former commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar, includes policy and financial incentives such as a three to five-year tax holiday, soft loans with easy repayment terms and grace periods, relocation grants for small and medium enterprises, and tax exemptions on imported machinery. He added that approval has been sought for naming the new industrial estates as "Maryam Nawaz Sharif Industrial Zone."

Sources said the divisional administration formed the District Industrial Relocation Committee (DIRC) in January 2026 to assess feasibility, stakeholder concerns, land requirements and the overall relocation framework.

Former commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar said Faisalabad, as a major industrial hub, has seen rapid urban expansion, resulting in industrial units operating within residential areas.