ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has urged the local administration to exempt all markets and business areas from the imposition of smart lockdown.
They urged to take measures to ensure the implementation of SOPs in order to curb the 2nd wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the federal capital as the economy was not in a position to afford the closure of business activities.
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan President ICCI said that the ICT Administration has sealed some subsectors in 1-8/3, 1-8/4, G-9/1, G-10/4 and G-6/2 Islamabad to control the spread of Covid-19, however, he stressed that all markets including small markets should remain open with SOPs as closure of businesses would lead to more poverty and poverty will kill more people than the coronavirus.
He said that the Prime Minister Imran Khan has already announced that business activities would not be closed due to Covid-19, which was very encouraging and urged that the ICT Administration to honor the PM’s announcement.
He said this while addressing the Traders Welfare Association, Sitara Market, G-7 Markaz, Islamabad after administering oath to the newly elected Office Bearers of the Association.
Syed Altaf Hussain Shah took oath as President, Khateeb Abbasi Senior Vice President, Raja Imran and Adeel Tufail Chaudhry Vice Presidents.
Yasir Ilyas Khan said that ICCI would do strong lobbying for the passage of rent control act from Senate of Pakistan.
He said that a committee would be formed consisting of important traders’ leaders that would do advocacy and lobbying with the senators for early passage of rent law from the Senate.
He said that ICCI has developed strong liaison with CDA to resolve the key issues of the business community and assured the TWA G-7 Markaz, Islamabad that they would soon see many development works in their market including carpeting of roads, repair of footpaths, restoration of streetlights.
He assured that ICCI would fully cooperate with TWA Sitara Market in resolving key issues of their market.
Ajmal Baloch, President, All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tijaran speaking at the occasion said that promulgation of a balanced rent control act in Islamabad was a longstanding demand of traders of the federal capital.
He said that the National Assembly has already passed the Rent Restrictions (Amendment) Bill 2020 and urged the Senate to also pass it to address the burning issue of the traders of Islamabad.
Speaking at the occasion, Syed Altaf Hussain Shah President and Rana Muhammad Akram Secretary General, Traders Welfare Association, Sitara Market, G-7 Markaz, Islamabad thanked the Federal Minister Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan Special Assistant to PM on CDA Affairs and Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz MNA for their efforts to get the rent control act bill passed from the National Assembly and hoped that ICCI would play its role for its passage from the Senate.
They urged the CDA to complete the construction of a food street and flowers market in Sitara Market.
They said that there was a dire need of construction of interlink roads in Sitara Market for facilitation of customers and stressed upon CDA to focus on this issue.
