Lahore chamber slams government move to close EDB

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) on Friday raised a serious alarm over the reports about the closure of Engineering Development Board (EDB), terming it an absolutely anti-industry proposal that was tantamount to throwing a spanner in the works. 

“The government should shelve the idea for the sake of engineering sector of Pakistan,” Amjad Ali Jawa, acting president LCCI, said in a statement issued here.  “Reportedly this decision has been taken without taking the stakeholders on board.” 

Jawa, with Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan, vice president LCCI, by his side, stressed the EDB was playing a fundamental role in promotion of the sector, therefore it should not be folded.  “The EDB was established to oversee multiple areas related to the sector,” Khan said, adding an important area, where the board has contributed the most is the automobile sector. 

He added that the board also oversees the implementation of the Auto Policy, based on predefined policy document guidelines.  “Thus it supports the vendor industry by handling various SROs by assuring local content enhancement and curtailment of the rollback, based on the government’s policy guidelines”, Khan said highlighting the importance of the functions of the board. 

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry ’s acting president further said that the closure/shifting of the responsibilities of the EDB will derail the industry, specially the auto sector. 

“It will definitely lead to inefficiencies in the government, whereas a lack of expertise would further complicate the situation, putting brakes on the investments being driven into the auto sector, especially the vending side,” Jawa observed. 

Both the industry leaders demanded of the government to withdraw this proposal immediately as it would only send an unsound message to the foreign investors.  “In order to improve the situation, a professional chief executive officer should be appointed to run the Engineering Development Board,” they said and continued that closure of an institution is not a solution to the problem.