Karachi: The federal government, it is alleged, in a surprising move, is directing the Sindh government to pursue the relocation of a functioning sugar mill from Benazirabad (Nawabshah) to the nearby Sanghar district, citing the environment hazard the mill posed.
Interestingly, a senior bureaucrat, a member of the Board of Revenue who also holds the additional charge of Chief Secretary Sindh, Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha has summoned a meeting of the management of the above-mentioned mill, sources have indicated.
The Al-Habib Sugar Mill is currently located in President Zardari’s home town of Nawabshah and has apparently been directed to relocate to a site at least 30 kilometers away. However, the mill management has not acceded to the directive to remove the mill, citing the massive expenditures involved, including transportation, availability of raw material, human resources among others, which would be incurred in the movement.
An official letter, (No Dev-IND-441/2008) of the Sindh’s Industries and Commerce Department, written to the Planning and Development Department of the Sindh government on October 7, 2010 states, ” President of Pakistan on the complaint of Mr Tariq Masood Arain, Mr Ahmed Ali Khan Jalbani, Syed Fasih Ahmed Shah, Mr Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Sardar Jam Tamachi Unnar directed the chief secretary/secretary industries to talk with the authorities of Habib Sugar Mill and persuade them to shift the mill 20 to 30 kilometers away from Nawabshah town”.
The Assistant Director (Development-II) of the Industries and Commerce Department, Ghulam Yaseen Soomro, writes in the letter, exclusively obtained by Pakistan Today, “In compliance, secretary industries and commerce initiated action and talked with the mill management for shifting of mill, they expressed their inability to shift their mill.”
It elaborates, “The position was brought to the knowledge of Additional Secretary (HD), President’s Secretariat (Public) Islamabad.”
Additionally, “The chief secretary serving at the time, meant to conduct a meeting on April 13, 2010 but due to his pre-occupation the meeting did not take place. On review of the implementation status with secretary (implementation) SGA&CD, this department again submitted a note to chief secretary to determine the date for a meeting to resolve the issue.”
Informed sources have disclosed that President Zardari also had a sugar mill, Sakrand Sugar Mill, in the same locality, and allege that Habib Sugar Mill relocation is to clip competition in the area. However, the reticent Chief Executive of Habib Sugar Mills, Raeesul Hasan accepted that the mill was facing ‘issues’ .
