KARACHI: A delegation of industrialists from Mehran Town Saturday sought Karachi Chamber’s assistance in convincing the Sindh Government to de-seal the industries in Mehran Town and refrain Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) from issuing further notices and sealing more industrial units in this particular area in order to save hundreds and thousands of workers from becoming jobless and their families from poverty and starvation.
The request was made by perturbed members of the delegation who were led by Rana Waheed at a meeting during their visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI). President KCCI M. Shariq Vohra presided over the meeting which was also attended by Senior Vice President Saqib Goodluck, Former Presidents KCCI Abdullah Zaki and Shamim Ahmed Firpo, Former Senior Vice President Ibrahim Kasumbi, PCLC Chief Hafeez Aziz, Managing Committee Members and others.
Rana Waheed, while appreciating all the efforts being made by KCCI to minimize the grievances being faced by the industrialists of Mehran Town, stated that around 3,000 industries including cottage industries and small factories existed in Mehran Town, of which 70 factories have been sealed so far and all other industries in the area have been receiving notices from SBCA which must be stopped. “Mehran Town is an important locality where a large number of industries have been operating since many years hence, it has to be declared as an industrial estate”, he added.
He informed that several theft incidents have also taken place in the sealed factories where even the security guards have also been disallowed to enter. “KCCI should take up this serious issue and help us in convincing the authorities to at least allow deployment of private security guards at the premises so that our units could be saved from burglaries.”
After listening to the grievances being faced by the industrialists of Mehran Town, President KCCI M. Shariq Vohra, while assuring full support to all their valid demands, stated that Chairman Businessmen Group Zubair Motiwala has already taken up this matter with relevant authorities. “We will not leave you alone and will try our best to convince the government to de-seal the industrial units and refrain SBCA from issuing notices to industrialists of Mehran Town”, he added.
He said that KCCI was deeply grieved over the loss of precious lives in a fire incident at a factory in Mehran Town but punishing everyone for someone else’s negligence was not a wise move. “Closure of so many industries, including cottage, small-sized and medium sized industries was neither in favor of the economy nor the business community and thousands of those workers who have been earning their bread and butter from these units.”
He was fairly optimistic that keeping in view the peoples’ friendly approach of the Sindh Government, the Chief Minister and all other Ministers in the Cabinet would realize the hardships being suffered by the industrialists of this particular area and accordingly announce relief by issuing directives to de-seal industries and refrain SBCA from issuing notices.
Shariq Vohra also advised the industrialists of Mehran Town to ensure strict compliance of all fire-related SOPs at the industrial premises in order to prevent such untoward incidents in future.
