Steps on to boost industrial sector in KP: minister

HARIPUR: Senior Minister for Irrigation and Social Welfare Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao Wednesday said that measures had been taken to boost the industrial sector for generating employment opportunities and achieving the socio-economic development goals.

“The provincial government will announce the industrial policy on December 30,” he disclosed at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of revamping and maintenance of roads project in Hattar Industrial Estate. The project would cost Rs585 million.

The QWP’s minister said that uninterrupted supply of energy was imperative for industrial growth but despite abundance of gas, electricity and petrol resources, the industrial sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed to grow during the past six decades.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was generating electricity, gas more than its consumption and surplus quantity of these resources was being given to other provinces.

“The people of this province are facing worst loadshedding of electricity and gas, which is one of the major contributing factors to the poor industrial output,” he claimed.

He told the participants that under the new industrial policy, the provincial coalition government was going to offer handsome facilities and rebates to the investors that would, in return, bring about industrial revolution in the province.

Sikandar Sherpao rejected the increase in the gas tariff and asked the federal government to review the decision as it could affect the industrial sector.

He said that salaries of employees of Workers Welfare Board would soon be released. Member Provincial Assembly from PK-51 Haripur Gohar Nawaz Khan also spoke on the occasion.