New export zones to be established in the country:DPM Ch Pervaiz Elahi

Lahore: Deputy Prime Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi has said that the Exports Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) is working on a plan to establish new export zones in all the four provinces of the country and its exports this year amount to 600 million dollars.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi said this while presiding over the meeting of the Adeel Rizvi, Engineer M. A. Jabbar and G. M. Sikander.

Ch Parvaiz Elahi said one year back when we got the charge of the EPZA, its land was under occupation of grabbers mafia, now 100 acres of land has been retrieved on which the PZA Zones would be established. He said EPZA offices would be set up all over the country including Karachi so that more industrial estates could be established and new job opportunities created. He said EPZA was established in 1981 and work is in progress day and night to remove the black clouds which are hovering over it for some time. He said that he would very shortly apprise the President and the Prime Minister about the problems being faced by the EPZA.

EPZA Chairman Tariq Hassan said during the briefing that now only 32 acres of land of the authority is under forcibly illegal occupation which would be retrieved from the land grabbers very shortly. He said that in 30 years history of the authority, Awards have been started for the first time for Top 10 Exporters strictly on merit basis. Award winners include owners of the private companies Umair Ahmad, Hikmatullah, Ali Ahmad, Naveed Shaikh, A. Q. Malik, Muhammad Iqbal Ayub and Farasaq Ahmad.

The meeting was informed that talks are in progress with the chambers for opening of more zones at Islamabad, Mirpur, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khanewal, Gujrat and the south region. The meeting accorded approval to appoint Saadat Cheema as General Manager North and Zahid Iqbal Chaudhry as Vice Chairman North and filling of the vacant posts in the North and South Zones.

On this occasion, Zaigham Adeel Rizvi and other members said that what Ch Parvez Elahi had done in the Punjab as the Chief Minister, it is hoped that likewise he would also strengthen the EPZA and it would make progress by leaps and bounds.

Zaigham Adeel Rizvi said that so far we have made an investment of 350 million dollars and investment of another 840 million dollars is planned.