AJK Corporate Sector Seeks Immediate Revolutionary Steps For Survival Of Collapsed Industrial Sector In State

MIRPUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Oct, 2022 ) ::Expressing severe concern over the reported impasse in the process of industrialization in Azad Jammu & Kashmir since long following the alleged massive mismanagement on the part of the state-run regulatory authorities as well as by various previous managements of Mirpur, the business community of AJK has demanded immediate effective measures to ensure the survival of the collapsed industrial sector in the State.

Local business community including industrialists and traders, newly elected and former office bearers of their sole representative forum � the Mirpur AJK Chamber of Commerce and Industry while addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Chamber here on Friday night strongly demanded immediate grant of attractive incentives to ensure the true industrial progress in the state particularly, through the revival of hundreds of the sick Industrial units in the Mirpur district of AJK.

Newly elected office bearers of the Mirpur AJK Chamber of Commerce & Industry including President Sabir Hussain Shah, Senior Vice President Kashif Nazir Bajaar, and Vice President Muhammad Shafique Ratvi took the charge of their respective offices replacing the outgoing President Faisal Manzoor, Sr. Vice President Zahid Subhani and Vice President (Late) Malik Azhar Mehnaz. It may be mentioned that Master Waris Azhar Malik, 06-year old son of late Azhar Mehnaz represented his late father in the ceremony � who was killed by an over speeding vehicle at Band Road in Mirpur few weeks back.

The annual general meeting of the Mirpur AJKCCI was jolted as a result of heated speeches by several of former Presidents of the Chamber, besides other speakers, bitterly criticizing the performance of the outgoing management especially the former President Faisal Manzoor for his alleged hostile attitude towards some of the former Presidents including Murtaza Chaudhry and Azeem Mushtaq Chaudhry who lambasted the outgoing President for his indifferent attitude � which forced them to stay off the chamber during his term in power. However, few of the ex Presidents appreciated the achievements secured by the outgoing President mostly for the traders.

Alarming indication to the fast deteriorating and ugly situation of industrial sector in AJK was given by the speakers in the annual general meeting of the AJK Chamber of Commerce & Industry wherein, the newly elected office bearers of the AJKCCI for year 2022-23 took their respective offices.

Expressing grave concern over the collapsed industrial sector in AJK, seasoned businessman and former President of AJKCCI Zulfiqar Abbasi said that the Industrial Estates in Mirpur, the only industrial district of AJK, have turned into the graveyards of industries because of the poor policies of the previous governments in AJK.

Abbasi recalled as saying "in 1990, number of the operative industrial units in Mirpur was 500 containing over 50 thousands of the working skilled and unskilled manpower.".

Now in 2022, the number of the industrial units in both of the Mirpur Industrial Estates including Small and D/4 Main Industrial estates have reduced to below of only 50 turning thousands of the laborers jobless because of the poor policies and slackness of the regulatory authorities.

Portraying the ongoing bleak picture, since past many years, of the prevailing industrial sector in AJK in detail, Zulfiqar Abbasi urged upon the concerned state authorities to immediately move for devising an immediate sustainable plan for the revival of the sick units, unearth the basic causes of the sickness, remove the reasons of industrial sickness and reduction in debt burden of the units besides ensuring the dispensation of immediate facilities to the existing and intending entrepreneur in the region.

Speakers including the newly elected President MCCI AJK Sabir Hussain Shah, outgoing President Faisal Manzoor, former FPCCI and AJKCCI President and ex AJK minister for sports, Youth and Culture Ch. Muhammad Saeed, ex Founder President of Jammu Kashmir Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry and former AJKCCI President Zulfiqar Abbasi, ex AJKCCI President and former acting President FPCCI Ch. Javed Iqbal, former MCCI Presidents including Ch. Azeem Mushtaq, Sohail Shajah Mujahid, Murtaza Choudhry, former Senior Vice President Raja Khalid Mahmood Khan, Election Commissioner of the Chamber Mumtaz Rasool Mir and others said that the industrial estates in Mirpur division have, in reality, turned into the graveyards of the industries because of the lack of the basic infrastructural facilities and mismanagement on the part of the concerned State functionaries besides other stake holders.

Earlier, the Election Commissioner Mumtaz Rasool Mirpur announced the result of the MCCI elections declaring Sabir Hussain Shah elected unopposed as President, Kashif Nazir Bajaar elected unopposed as Sr. Vice President and Muhammad Shafique Ratvi elected unopposed as Vice President, besides announcing the Names of the newly-elected Executive Committee members of the Chamber.

Speakers called upon the AJK government to move forward on revolutionary grounds to ensure the survival of the rapidly collapsed industrial sector in AJK by ensuring the early supply of the much need amenities including uninterrupted power supply, natural gas and water to the industrial estates.

They underlined that since the foundation stone of the much-awaited Mirpur Dry Port has been laid down by the sitting AJK government, the Dry Port project was required to be completed in reality without further wastage of time for the survival of the incumbent fast deteriorating conditions of the industrial sector in AJK.

They pointed out that there were a total of 200 industrial units in AJK, mostly in the Indusial Mirpur and Bhimbher districts. Of these units, over one hundred units were lying sick, since long, because of lack of the required infra-structure and other facilities.

They said that immediate supply of sui natural gas, uninterrupted power supply, water and a mega bridge linking Mirpur city with the New Industrial Estate Mirpur were also the urgency of hour to revive the stagnant industrialization process in Mirpur � where the industrial estates were giving the look of the graveyard of the sick Industries.

Newly elected MIRPUR AJKCCI President Sabir Hussain Shah said that the business community could be hopeful of the positive outcome of the efforts by the AJK government for the revival of the declined industrial sector in AJK if the government's plans were materialized in letter and spirit with prime focus to strengthen the economy of the AJK region besides to overcome the ensuing increased problems of unemployment and poverty in the area".

"The employment opportunities in AJK could be created through encouraging the rapid promotion of trade and industrial progress in the area", he emphasized.