FAISALABAD: The Faisalabad Development Authority has proposed the construction of 40km expressway to link Satiana Road to Karachi-Lahore Motorway from Gaitanwala Chowk.
Giving details of the project in a meeting of the FDA chaired by MPA Mian Waris Aziz, FDA Director General Muhammad Suhail Khawaja said that the proposed 40 feet wide expressway would provide quick and speedy travelling facilities to the commuters for travelling from Faisalabad to Karachi and Lahore.
He said that multidimensional development projects were being conceived by the FDA for city development as per international standard and proposal of expressway to link KLM from city was also part of this development programme. He hoped that the distance of Lahore and other cities would be squeezed by virtue of expressway and the project would help in bringing social and economic revolution in the area. The meeting unanimously decided to present the expressway project to the Punjab government for extending request to include it in the Annual Development Programme of next financial year.
It was informed to the meeting that the Kashmir Bridge Underpass project would be completed during the month of June subject to provision of remaining funds of Rs150 million from the Punjab government. The parliamentarians assured the meeting for taking up the matter with the chief minister to extend request for provision of remaining funds to complete the project.
‘Steps on to control economic losses caused due to corona lockdown’: The government is making all-out effort to control the economic losses incurred by our fragile economy in the wake of corona lockdown, said Adviser to PM on Commerce, Textile and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood.
Talking to office-bearers of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry through a video conference on Thursday, he discussed in detail the problems being faced by the business community and impediments in the speedy disbursement of electricity bills and payment of salaries and wages to the employees under the SBP’s Refinance scheme. He told that the SBP had issued a circular regarding refinance scheme for the payment of wages and salaries to the SME units, which would not lay-off their workers during the lockdown.
He said that the circular was issued on April 5, but it had some discrepancies due to which various sectors could not avail the facility. He asked the FCCI president to propose necessary amendments to the circular so that maximum sectors could avail the facility.
Commenting on a proposal put forth by the FCCI president regarding appointment of honorary commercial counselors in uncovered countries which had huge potential for Pakistani exports, the Adviser agreed in principal to appoint honorary commercial counselors from business community and asked the FCCI president to nominate country-wise exporters who could be appointed as the honorary counselors. Regarding payment of three months electricity bills, Razzak Dawood said that he would discuss the issue with the relevant quarters.
Earlier, FCCI president Rana Sikandar-e-Azam said that the government had announced a scheme to pay the electricity bills of three months for the SME sector. He lamented that instead of facilitating the disturbed industrial and commercial units, the Fesco had not only added late surcharge in their bills, but their connections were also being severed. Among these units include textile and printing, sizing, powerloom and other sectors.
Regarding refinance scheme of the SBP to pay wages and salaries to the employees of the SME sector in order to retain their workforce during the lockdown period, he said that no practical development had been witnessed in this scheme. Now, some banks were refusing their requests on the plea that they could pay salaries only to those staffers who were getting it through their bank accounts. He said that the SBP should issue clear directions to the commercial banks to extend this facility of concessional loans at the earliest without creating any unnecessary hurdles.
The FCCI president said that the Ministry of Commerce should hammer out an aggressive export policy to enhance exports during the post-corona period. He mentioned South America as a huge potential market and said that many countries in this block had no Pakistani trade sections.
Superstore visited: Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali along with SSP Operations Syed Ali Raza and senior officers of Pak Army visited Al-Fateh store on Jaranwala Road and checked the availability, quality and prices of essential items at DC Counter. He warned the superstores administration that strict action would be taken against them if substandard items were seen on the DC counters during checking. He said that the price control magistrates were in the field to check the prices of essential commodities.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali visited the fruits and vegetables market at Ghulam Muhammadabad. He inspected the auction process of some fruits and vegetables and inquired about the demand for vegetables from the vendors and the conduct of the middlemen.
WHEAT RECOVERED: Assistant Commissioner Sadar Umar Maqbool raided a godown at Chak 85/JB and recovered more than 60 tons of stored wheat. The AC directed the Food Department and Patwari to shift the wheat from the godown to the wheat procurement centre at Sir Shameer.
