PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour has expressed grave concern over ignoring the chamber in the 15-members committee, meant to ensure implementation of the KP Industrial Policy, 2020 under the action plan and rejected the proposed body.
Sans representation of the chamber and taking relevant stakeholders on board, he said the gaining desired objectives of the provincial industrial policy would not only be difficult, but will be impossible.
Sherbaz was chairing a meeting of industrialists here at the chamber house on Tuesday.
The SCCI chief informed that the provincial government has approved industrial policy 2020, which aims to give six industrial estates established in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) status of special economic zones and revive sick industries in the province.
However, he said that the KP Industrial Policy, 2020 would be proved unproductive, owing to lack of representation of the chamber in the proposed body, which was incomprehensible and strongly condemnable.
“Is the industrial policy confined to the government and ‘high-officials’?” he asked
Sherbaz also criticised the provincial government for failing to implement the previous industrial policy, and questioned how the new policy could be executed after a massive previous failure,” he asked.
He added sustainable business environment and industrialisation can only be ensured by taking the chamber and business community on board.
The SCCI chief emphasised that the chamber, being representing a largest trade body and prime stakeholder, needed to be taken on board to ensure promotion of industrialisation, especially revival of sick industries under the policy in the province.
Strongly opposing the unilateral decisions and policies of the provincial government, Sherbaz Bilour asked to implement policies with mutual coordination and consultation, which would bring fruitful results.
“On one hand, the government has emphasised that industrialists and factory owners implement minimum wage Rs21,000/-, while on the other, it has failed to give representation to the chamber in the proposed committee for the industrial policy, which is reflecting double standards of the provincial government,” the SCCI chief said.
Sherbaz Bilour asked the provincial government to give representation to the chamber in the proposed committee for implementation of the industrial policy in order to remove apprehensions and reservations, and ensure timely execution of the new provincial industrial policy.
