Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Wednesday formally performed ground breaking ceremony of Jalozai Economic Zone here Wednesday. A game-changer for the area, the 257 acres Jalozai Economic Zone (JEZ) will generate around 50,000 direct and indirect job opportunities with expected private sector investment of Rs eight billions.
Being in the proximity of the provincial capital and adjacency to Engineering University Campus and new housing scheme, the economic zone offers promising potentials to the private investors and enterprising individuals who either intend to expand their existing business or to come up with new start ups. Due to the availability of labour at local level, the industries like pharmaceutical, food processing, construction, marble, granite, food packaging and furniture will benefit from investment in the new economic zone.
The well placed Jalozai Economic Zone is connected to federal capital through M-1 Motorway, Torkham and Azakhel Dry Port which adds to its strategic strength. The industrial products from Jalozi EZ could find themselves in high demand in areas like Afghanistan, Central Asia, China and urban centres in the region. Around 400 applications have been received from private sector entrepreneurs for investment in the economic zone so far.
Addressing the ground breaking ceremony, the chief minister termed the ground breaking of Jalozai EZ in the prevailing corona situation as of high importance and dire need of the hour. The CM said that it would prove to be a milestone achievement of the provincial government for creating maximum employment opportunities in the area through attracting private sector investment, adding that it would boost economic and industrial activities in the region.
Mahmood Khan said the interest shown by industrialists to invest in Jalozai EZ was highly encouraging for the real success of the project. “The provincial government is taking result oriented steps to promote economic activities in the province with the aim to provide maximum employment opportunities to the people badly affected due to the prevailing corona situation,” added the chief minister.
He said similar other economic zones would also be inaugurated in the near future in Chitral, D.I.Khan and Hattar etc. The chief minister revealed that the work on the ground breaking of the flagship project of Rashakai Economic Zones was in final stages and its ground breaking ceremony would be performed soon by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Mahmood Khan stated that promotion of Housing and Construction sectors were the top priorities of his government and as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, concerted efforts were being made under a well devised plan to extend maximum facilitation to private sector investors for investment in these sectors, adding that the provincial government has recently approved amendments in the relevant rules and regulations to make the cumbersome process of private investment in these sectors easier in order to attract maximum investment. The CM added that the provincial government would provide locally produced electricity to industrial units on cheaper rates through the newly introduced wheeling system to attract more and more investment.
