LAHORE: Stakeholders review the progress of the joint committee on Saggian Industrial Area at a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol, Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, SAARC Chamber Vice President Mian Anjum Nisar, former President Muhammad Ali Mian, Executive Committee Member Umar Sarfraz, and others participated in the meeting.
President of Saggian Association Shafiq-uz-Zaman, General Secretary of the Saggian Association Hafiz Tanveer, Haji Nadeem, and other industrialists were also present.
Muhammad Ali Mian gave a detailed briefing on the progress made by the LCCI–Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) joint committee so far. He informed that in the meeting held on December 11, the committee prepared important points and recommendations regarding industrial issues, land-use conversion, DC rates, basic infrastructure, conversion charges, and zoning of the Saggian Industrial Area.
The briefing said that, under the committee’s recommendations, progress has been made on approval of existing industries’ as-built building plans under RUDA policy, data sharing, mapping of industries, approval of industrial zones, and matters related to conversion charges.
It was also agreed that decisions on conversion and development charges would be made under a uniform policy, and the option of payment in instalments is also being considered.
Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol said that industries in the Saggian Industrial Area have been operating on a self-help basis for decades. He added that most of these are small and cottage industries that provide livelihoods to hundreds of thousands of families. He stressed that LCCI believes existing industries must be protected in new policies, and all stakeholders should be consulted before any final decision is taken.
He said that the LCCI–RUDA joint committee is working to present a comprehensive solution to the problems of industrialists, and final recommendations will be prepared soon.
Mian Anjum Nisar said that RUDA was established in recent years, while industrial units in Saggian have been active for decades. Therefore, the rights of existing industries must be fully protected in any new legislation.
