Ground-breaking of Jalozai Economic Zone performed

By Mushtaq Paracha
July 16, 2020

NOWSHERA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking ceremony of Jalozai Economic Zone.

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Spread over 257 acres of land, the zone is expected to attract eight billion rupees investment in the private sector along with 50,000 direct and indirect jobs.

National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman MNA Imran Khattak, Advisor to Chief Minister on Higher Education Mian Khaleequr Rehman, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Abdul Karim Khan, Secretary for Industries, Javed Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company, Chief Executive Officer Javed Iqbal and others attended the function.

The chief minister distributed allotments letters of plots amongst the investors. The economic zone offers potentials to private investors. It is located adjacent to the University of Engineering and Technology Campus and the new housing scheme. Industries such as pharmaceutical, food processing, construction, marble, granite, food packaging and furniture are expected to benefit from investment in the zone. The Jalozai Economic Zone is connected to federal capital through M-1 Motorway, Torkham and Azakhel Dry Port.

The officials said Industrial products from Jalozai Economic Zone are expected to find themselves in high demand in Afghanistan, Central Asia, China and urban centres in the region. The chief minister termed the Jalozai Economic Zone groundbreaking of great importance despite the fact that the country was facing coronavirus pandemic.

He hoped it would prove to be a milestone achievement of the KP government for creating maximum jobs in the area through attracting private sector investment, adding it would boost economic and industrial activities Mahmood Khan said the interest shown by industrialists to invest in Jalozai Economic Zone was encouraging as 400 applications have been received from the private entrepreneurs for investment in the zone. The KP government was taking steps to promote economic activities in the province to provide maximum jobs to the people highly affected by the prevailing Covid-19 situation, he added.

Mahmood Khan said that similar economic zones wouldl also be inaugurated soon in Chitral, Dera Ismail Khan and Hattar (Haripur), etc. He said the work on the ground-breaking of the flagship project of Rashakai Economic Zone was in the final stages and Prime Minister Imran Khan would perform the ceremony soon. The chief minister stated that promotion of Housing and Construction sectors were the top priorities of his government, adding efforts were being made to extend maximum facilities to the investors in these sectors. The KP government had recently approved amendments to the rules and regulations to make the cumbersome process of private investment in these sectors easier, he added.

Mahmood Khan said the provincial government would provide locally produced electricity to industrial units on cheaper rates through the newly introduced wheeling system. He specially thanked Defence Minister Pervez Khattak for all the efforts he had made for the establishment of the economic zone in Jalozai. Adviser to Chief Minister on Higher Education Mian Khaleequr Rehman and National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman MNA Imran Khattak in their speeches said Jalozai Economic Zone would lead to a new era of development besides creation of a large number of jobs.

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