Blue Area traders warn of sit-in if not compensated

Islamabad: The business community has warned that it would stage a protest sit-in in Blue Area if the federal and Punjab governments fail to compensate them in ten days for huge losses suffered by them during work on the Metro Bus Project.
Talking exclusively to ‘The News’ in his office here on Monday, Chairman Coordination Federation of Pakistan Chambers and Commerce Industry and SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry Pakistan Chapter Malik Sohail Hussain expressed concern over the poor and improper planning made for the implementation of the MBP by the concerned authorities which incurred huge loss of income to the business community. “Only in Blue Area, the businessmen suffered loss of more than Rs2 billion so far,” he added.
He said the governments should announce compensation to them in the form of paying at least 6 (six months) rent amount to them. He did not agree that the tax of affected traders should be waived off. He said that waiving off taxes would result huge loss to national exchequer which he would not support.
Meanwhile, President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muzzamil Shah Sabri said because of work on the project, the traders of the federal capital have faced huge loss and the federal government should waive off all kind of taxes on them otherwise they would not be in a position to pay. He said that the Punjab government has reportedly waived off taxes on those traders of Rawalpindi who came under the project. In this context, the traders of Islamabad should also be considered and their taxes should be waived off.