Ahmed Khan Malik

The Kotri Industrial Zone in Hyderabad district has long been facing infrastructural issues, adversely impacting the production. 

“The biggest issue we are confronting is the water shortage as the rickety water pumps and motors have not been replaced for over 40 years, rendering them almost non-functional,” said Khalil Ahmed Baloch, a senior member of the Kotri Association of Trade and Industry.  He emphasised the immediate need to upgrade the water supply system to ensure uninterrupted industrial activities. He also mentioned the absence of a firefighting vehicle at the Kotri site. He regretted that requests had been made to relevant authorities to provide a fire tender, but to no avail. Khalil demanded the government provide a firefighting vehicle on a priority basis. Apart from this, he also demanded provision of funds to operationalise a combined effluent treatment plant.

He also called for removing encroachments from the Kotri site. “The road infrastructure is also in a dilapidated condition, hampering smooth shipment of cargo to and from the industrial zone,” Munnawr Baseer, another industrialist, told WealthPK. He said that roads were built decades ago, but no maintenance work was carried out afterwards. He said that overhauling of the road infrastructure was critical.  He said that the cost of production had risen due to exorbitant utility charges and heavy taxation imposed by the federal government in the budget. He asked the Sindh government to improve the road infrastructure and replace the obsolete water supply equipment. 

Meanwhile, Murtaza Junejo, Additional Director of Sindh Industrial Department, claimed that the government was taking concrete measures to address the issues of industrialists on a priority basis as traders and industrialists were playing a crucial role in improving the national economy and providing employment to millions of people. Talking to WealthPK, he said that a plan was being prepared with the inputs from the industrialists to resolve the problems in Korti Industrial Zone.   He said that special funds had been approved by the provincial government to ensure industrial development by improving the infrastructure. “The government plans to improve infrastructure in the industrial areas of the province to promote industrialization,” he said.

Credit: INP-WealthPk