PESHAWAR: The marble industry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has urged the government to compensate for the losses incurred by them due to the coronavirus lockdown.
People associated with the KP’s marble industry believe that the government’s recently announced ‘construction relief package’ should have included the marble industry.
Talking to this scribe, Muhammad Sajjad Khan, President of KP’s Marble Mines Industry Development Association, stated that the KP’s marble industry not only provides job to millions of people but also pays the government hefty amounts in various taxes.
He claimed there are around 3,800 to 4,000 marble factories across the province, employing millions of people directly or indirectly.
“The number of direct employees in this industry is more than 200,000, while the number of daily wagers is also in thousands,” he informed. “The number of indirect workers in this industry is more than one million, and they include truck drivers, restaurant owners, and contractors etc.”
Khan said that they recently held a meeting with the provincial chief secretary but so far no financial relief has been announced.
“The government has repeatedly claimed that it will provide relief to small scale industries but still neither the federal government nor the provincial government has granted any relief to the marble industry, which falls in the of ‘small industry’ (SME).”
He demanded the government to immediately waive electricity bills of the marble industry for the next six months, besides announcing a compensation package to avert losses.
“Despite the government permitting the construction sector to start work, marble showrooms across the country are still closed, owing to which it is not ready to lift the marble lying in factories,” Waheedullah, a marble factory owner, pointed out. “The government must announce an immediate relief package to help the owners revive their businesses.”
Adviser to KP Chief Minister on Industry Karim Khan did not reply to this scribe’s requests.
