IRAP will help solve the core problems : Sheikh Alauddin

Lahore : Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment (ICI) Sheikh Alauddin says the proposed Industrial Regulatory Authority Punjab (IRAP) will help solve the core problems such as complex process of No Objection Certificate (NOC) and to meet social and environmental safeguards.

He was chairing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat to discuss the administrative structure and law of IRAP, soon to be presented to the Chief Minister Punjab.

The meeting was also attended among others by the Secretary ICI Dr. Mujtaba Piracha, Secretary Environment Saif Anjum,  Almas Hyder of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and higher officers from the concerned departments.

Admiring the concept of IRAP, the minister urged that new industry must be planned and installed on the barren lands away from the large cities as the irregular industry was gobbling vast agriculture lands as well as posing serious social and environmental threats to the urban population.

He desired from the concerned departments to collect the exact data of the existing industrial units in order to regularize all of the industry in Punjab and remove current flaws successfully. He said “IRAP must devise an instrumental policy to bound allottees of the industrial lands to construct and run the industry within given timeline as presently most of the allotted area in the Industrial estates in Punjab is lying vacant and have become liabilities for the Punjab Government.”

The minister also directed to ease the process for issuance of NOC to an industrialist by removing existing bottlenecks. Earlier Secretary ICC delivered a presentation on the proposed law of IRAP.  He told “The work on IRAP was started after the sad incident of roof collapse in the Sunder Estates in 2015.

The Authority will ensure to avert such incidents in future along with resolving other main issues. The administrative offices will be set at the district level categorized according to the size or number of the prevailing industrial units. The initial draft of the law will soon be presented to the Chief Minister Punjab after sharing it with all stakeholders and incorporating their valid suggestions.”

The minister advised to keep the initial budget of IRAP to the minimum figure so that its law could be passed easily. Almas Hyder said that the industrialists of Lahore wanted to declare industrial zones on almost 0.1 million acre land around the city to meet industry’s need for next 10 to 15 years.

He also opined to establish one window offices at the spot in all industrial estates to issue NOC and cater other needs of the local industrialists.