Latest news with #HITE
Express Tribune
05-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
991 industrial units operational in K-P
The industrialists believe that addressing these fundamental issues will unlock the tremendous potential of the HITE to accommodate more industries. photo: file In a recent session of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, it was revealed that 991 small industrial units are currently operational across the province, while only nine remain inactive. However, of the 218 large industrial units, 129 are reportedly struggling due to financial crisis. The session, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, included a detailed question-and-answer segment during which Provincial Minister for Industries Abdul Karim responded to queries raised by MPA Sobia Shahid. He stated that reasons behind the closure of some industrial units vary as five units are non-functional due to ongoing court cases and 26 due to electricity-related issues. One due to the impact of COVID-19 while five due to customs-related complications and three owing to a shortage of raw materials. He said that eight units were non-functional due to internal disputes among directors while four due to weak marketing and one due to security concerns The minister added that between 90 and 100 industrial units were successfully revived during the previous government's tenure. During the session, JUI-F lawmaker Adnan Khan raised concerns about the declining trend in vehicle registrations across the province. He pointed out that registrations have dropped from 106,000 in 202122 to 95,000 in 202223, and further to 66,000 in the current fiscal year. He warned that the drop poses a threat to provincial revenues, and questioned why some districts report high vehicle registration figures despite lower revenue collection. Responding to the issue, Minister for Excise and Taxation Khaliqur Rehman explained that the discrepancy is partly due to the inclusion of motorcycle registrations in the total figures, which affects revenue projections. He noted that 7,078 more vehicles have been registered this year compared to the previous year, resulting in an overall increase in revenue. Regarding imported vehicles, the minister clarified that each vehicle's tax status is verified before registration.
Express Tribune
21-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Water scarcity hits SITE industries
The industrialists believe that addressing these fundamental issues will unlock the tremendous potential of the HITE to accommodate more industries. photo: file The major industrial sector stakeholders including SITE Association of Industry (SAI) Patron-in-Chief Zubair Motiwala, SAI President Ahmed Azeem Alvi, Chief Coordinator Saleem Parekh and All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) Regional Chairman Anwer Aziz have voiced grave concern over the worsening water supply situation in the SITE industrial area. They said water supply from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation through two direct connections remained alarmingly low despite the allocation of eight million gallons per day to the zone, posing a major threat to industrial operations. Water supply has been curtailed or is being delivered at low pressure, forcing industries to rely on limited water through bowsers. The situation has worsened recently following a decline in subsoil water levels, resulting in the closure of several factories. Owing to this acute water shortage, all industries, particularly the export-oriented ones, are suffering huge losses and facing difficulties in fulfilling export orders, which puts the country's reputation at stake. In this era of intense global competition, the cost of production, which is already higher than regional competitors, has escalated manifold because the industries are procuring water from the tanker mafia. Water shortage has crippled industrial and business activities. An emergency meeting of industrialists belonging to the SAI and APTPMA was held under the chairmanship of Motiwala at the SAI office. During the meeting, a dedicated committee was formed, headed by Chief Coordinator Saleem Parekh, to engage with both federal and provincial governments on resolving the water supply issue. Motiwala lamented that water shortage would negatively impact the export target and foreign exchange earnings, adding that Karachi industrial areas were paying 50% of the country's taxes, but they continued to face unfair treatment. APTPMA Regional Chairman Anwer Aziz said about 40% of textile processing units in Pakistan were located in the SAI area and water was the basic raw material for them, especially the valued-added textile. "Paucity of water will lead to complete closure of the processing units, leading to massive unemployment and industrial unrest." He was of the view that the new scenario after the reciprocal tariffs would also affect Pakistani textile share in the US due to higher costs. However, the 90-day reprieve given by President Trump should give the stakeholders and the government an opportunity to revisit the deficiencies in the continuous supply of water, power and gas.
