Ahmed Khan Malik

The Sindh government has planned new initiatives in the budget 2024-25 for promotion of industrialization in the province, reports WealthPK.Sindh has a huge industrial base, but it is mainly concentrated in Karachi, the provincial capital."The government has announced industrial initiatives with the focus on further support to industrialization in Karachi as well as its promotion in the other parts of the province," Altaf Boghio, Consultant Sindh Industrial Promotion Wing in the Industry & Commerce Department, told WealthPK.

He referred to the provincial government's announcement of developing new industrial zones in Karachi for which special funds had been allocated in the budget. These zones are being considered at various locations, including Port Qasim, to enhance industrial activities and employment opportunities.He also pointed out a special economic zone, spanning 1,530 acres, at Dhabeji, Thatta, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said funds had been set aside for the project in the budget. The zone would also promote industrialization in Thatta and Sajawal areas of the province.

Boghio said the provincial government had allocated funds in the Annual Development Plan (ADP) to develop the required infrastructure across the seven industrial zones in Karachi to facilitate the industrialists.He said infrastructure bottlenecks had been a constant source of problems in these areas and the provincial government had worked hard in the past to remove them. Roads have been developed and carpeted in the SITE and Korangi industrial areas while the remaining work would be done in the current fiscal. 

He said the provincial government had also introduced one-window operations for industrialists to prompt the resolution of their issues. On the other hand, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, Stamp Duty and EOBI have been directed to facilitate the industrialists.The Sindh Industrial Promotion Wing consultant said industrialization in the upper parts of the province, particularly in Sukhur and Khairpur, was also being encouraged and initiatives had been announced in the budget to establish economic zones in these areas for the creation of jobs for the residents, as they had to come all along from these areas to Karachi.

The government is also consulting with the federal government to ensure a smooth supply of natural gas and electricity to the province's industries, which have long complained of shortages despite the fact that Sindh produces 70 percent of natural gas in the country. Effluent treatment plants would also be set up under the industrial development initiatives.

Credit: INP-WealthPk