Despite the fact of being a public institute of welfare of common folk, Small Industries Development Board (SIDB) faced with various problems that thwart it to play due role in the developmental process of the region.
Though the employees at SIDB were dismayed over the prevailing conditions and the administration of the board was hopeful of better outcome in future provided certain steps were taken to take it out of the financial problems it confronts; yet there was a sort of statuesque prevailed that curtail development of that autonomous body.
There was little know how among the masses regarding the establishment of SIDB and its aims and objectives. Likewise instead of setting up of an information cell, like the one established at SMEDA and Chamber of Commerce, to help extend information to potential investors along with attracting their attention for investment purposes as well as to help create job opportunities, SIDB was not showing bright prospects in this regarding due to the administration laggardness along with apathy on the part of the government and political ‘interruption’, in the autonomous organization.
There was a need of working on emergency grounds to bring an improvement in the pathetic conditions of industrial estates in the region and on administrative ground it was also necessary to recover outstanding dues on the part of owners of factories in these industrial estates that run in billions of rupees yet the ‘Board’, was a silent spectator in this regard.
Besides the issues faced by SIDB employees regarding their promotion, permanency on job, allowances, aid in case of accidents and residential problems were also the factor casting negative fall on the due role of the organization.
Issues that were confronted thirty years ago by SIDB employees were still lingering and there were employees working at SIDB for the last 15 years on fixed pay and contract jobs.
Most of the issues that the employees of the board faced today could be resolved by administrative changes along with awarding promotions and seniority on merit to the deserving ones in SIDB.
Like other parts of the country including Punjab and Sindh, SIDB was established at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa some forty years back to help boost and thrive small industries in the region but the apathy of successive governments down slide the organization toward stagnancy as one of the reason of its laggardness was also to be counted due to the lesser government aid that it extend to SIDB and for certain projects the required funds fall short.
