Quetta: Commissioner Lasbela Division, Saira Atta, has said that economic growth comes through industrial development, emphasizing that Hub was Balochistan’s largest industrial center. She noted that issues facing the Hub Industrial Zone, established with Rs. 150 billion investment would be resolved in consultation with industrialists, said a news release received here on Friday.
Addressing a coordination meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, Lasbela Industrial Development Authority (LIDA), and stakeholders, she assured that the procedure for issuing NOCs to engineers providing technical guidelines, along with policy matters, would be brought to the notice of the Chief Secretary.
Commissioner Saira Atta revealed that Balochistan hosted 300 industrial units, of which only 29 were registered with the Balochistan Revenue Authority, while tax returns from the province often get counted in Sindh and Punjab’s share. She stressed that this issue would be addressed through coordination between the Federal Board of Revenue and the provincial authority.
She further said that out of 163 units in the LIDA Industrial Zone, 70 were operational while others had become non-functional. ‘Industries will not be allowed to shut down. We must change our mindset and move forward,’ she asserted, directing LIDA officials to identify causes and challenges.
The Commissioner instructed that companies’ tax issues, production concerns, law and order, workers’ wages, job data collection and labor health and safety SOPs must be strictly implemented. She assured that the administration will provide guidelines and full support to resolve industrial problems on a priority basis, as thousands of workers’ livelihoods depend on these industries.
She also referred to the CSR Act, which has reached the Senate, saying that after legislation, implementation would be carried out in light of committee recommendations. On Gadani Marble City, she highlighted that 70 percent of Balochistan’s mining material was brought there for processing and electricity issues would be resolved with the approval of a 50 MW power plant through Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal.
Commissioner Saira Atta reaffirmed that under federal and provincial policies, investors would be provided a peaceful and secure environment for investment in Special Economic Zones and industrialization projects.
The meeting was attended by LIDA administration officials, MD LIDA, Chamber of Commerce President Yaqoob Karim, industrialists, and officers from the Environment and Labor Departments, who pledged to implement security SOPs under the Safe City Project for industrial and economic zones.