Lesser land use charges urged

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the government to keep land use conversion charges limited to one percent for industry and regularise the existing industrial units without any prescribed fee and conversion charges.

In a letter written to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that currently land use conversion charges are extremely high, and the industry would not be able to pay these charges.

The Master Plan of Lahore was introduced by LDA in 2004 without considering ground realities. In early 90s, the then Punjab government allowed to establish industrial units outside the city (Chungi) limited under Rural Industrial Development Programme, which resulted in setting up of a number of industrial units in and around Lahore Division, he said.

The LCCI president also said this step would not only end the uncertainty among the business community, but would also help accelerate the industrialisation in the province, besides saving huge investment and employment.