Ahmed Khan Malik

The Sindh government will improve the infrastructure in Nooriabad industrial area located between Karachi and Hyderabad on the Super Highway. For this purpose, a comprehensive mechanism that integrates key stakeholders, including industrialists, is being worked out. This was revealed by Amir Solangi, the Director Infrastructure at Sindh Industries, in an interview with WealthPK. He said close cooperation among the stakeholders is aimed at revamping the infrastructure in various industrial zones and a work committee has been established for development initiatives. Under this arrangement, the property tax collected from the industrial area will be reinvested in those zones to upgrade the local infrastructure. The project was approved by the previous PPP government. Amir said under this project, an industrial park will also be established in the area to promote agro-based industrialization as per international standards because Nooriabad lies close to the crop-growing area of the province. The park will cater to the trade and industrialization needs of the country. There are more than 200 production plants.  A tyre manufacturing industry in the area has collaborated to set up a mega production facility to meet the domestic market’s demand as well as for exports.

Amir said the Sindh government is paying special attention to the improvement in the industrial area’s infrastructure and will take necessary steps to improve security, transport and traffic in the area. Taimur Javed, an industrialist in the area, stated that the infrastructure development project is too massive to be undertaken without the involvement of all the stakeholders. He also said that improving the infrastructure in the industrial area is essential to comply with the environmental standards of the WTO regime. He warned that exports will suffer in the future if the authorities concerned remain indifferent. He added that lack of funds had hindered the infrastructure development in the area before, but now a plan is in place to improve it, which will hopefully enhance the situation in the area. The economic health of Sindh’s industrial sector has remained poor. Apart from the external and domestic factors, the infrastructure weaknesses are also hindering the promotion of industrialization in the province. Sindh’s main industries include agriculture, horticulture, and livestock production, as well as the processing of products like textiles, tanning, pharmaceuticals, minerals, cement, salt, sugar, cotton, coal, and China clay. It also contributes significantly to the oil and gas production as well as the steel and automobile industries.

Credit: INP-WealthPk