100pc colonisation of industrial centres priority: minister

LAHORE:Provincial Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal Monday instructed submission a comprehensive plan of development work and colonisation of the value addition city, M-3 Industrial Estate and Allama Iqbal Industrial City within a week and reiterated that 100 per cent colonisation of industrial centres was the priority agenda of the government.

The minister issued these order chairing a meeting at the civil secretariat on Monday to review colonisation and progress made on development works in industrial zones under FIEDMC. Secretary Industries Wasif Khurshid, Additional Secretary, Economic Advisor, Acting CEO FIEDMC, FESCO officials and others attended the meeting.

The meeting was told that 62 per cent colonisation of value addition city has been completed while plots of those failing to establish industrial units are being cancelled. Acting CEO FIEDMC informed the participants that development work on three industrial centres in Faisalabad is in progress. The minister directed to expedite the industrial process and the decisions made in this regard should be implemented in letter and spirit as installation of industrial units in special economic zones will solve poverty and unemployment issues.

Meanwhile, the 13 special economic zones have laid the foundation of the industrial revolution and a state-of-the-art expo centre is being set up in Faisalabad to facilitate the industrialists.

Basharat: Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Raja Basharat has directed the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department to resolve the property tax issue in rural union councils of Rawalpindi by removing ambiguity in the policy as there were deep reservations among the local population. The minister was chairing a meeting of a special committee set up by the chief minister in this regard at the Civil Secretariat here on Monday.

Giving a briefing, the excise department officials said the Punjab government did not intend to impose property tax on the rural population and that tax was meant only those union councils which had acquired the urban status. The law minister while setting up a committee headed by the DG Excise directed the officers to visit the area concerned and clearly differentiate the urban and rural union councils on the spot so that future complications in that regard could be resolved. Basharat said that the recommendations of the committee would be sent to the chief minister for formal approval from the Cabinet and the concerns of the rural population of Rawalpindi would be addressed.