IN what could be called a very appreciable step, Rawalpindi Administration has decided to shift small factories located in densely populated areas of Rawalpindi to economic zones. Commissioner Rawalpindi Muhammad Mahmood has directed the civic body to survey the small scale industries and factories, estimate their size and consult the owners regarding their relocation. Over the years, a mushroom growth of small industries has been seen in the residential areas in clear violation of rules and regulations. This also created many problems for the inhabitants for those areas. Therefore, this is a step in the right
direction to shift these industries to a specific place where these factories and industries should be provided with all the amenities ranging from electricity and gas to the road infrastructure so that they could carry out their business without any hassle. The location of Rawalpindi is very important as the delivery of goods to Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab is done through it. In this background it is important that a special economic zone is established in the city to timely meet the requirements of those areas as well as help attract investment in different sectors. The same focus is required in the federal capital where the existing industrial area is now short of space and surrounded by the residential area. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) had many years ago earmarked Sector 1-17 for industrial estate that land acquisition process was also started in this regard. But then nobody knows as to why the civic agency abandoned the plan and fixed this area for some other purpose. We therefore will ask the CDA as well as the elected representatives from the federal capital to sit with the business community and fulfill their demand regarding the establishment of an industrial estate. Establishment of such facilities always encourages the business community to bring their investment and expand their business which ultimately helps in creation of immense job opportunities. This will be a big step forward for the PTI Government to fulfil the promise it made in elections for provisions of millions of jobs to the youth.