The Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) is asking the Sindh Government to provide land for new export processing zone in Karachi. However the meeting scheduled with chief minister sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah to discuss the project has been postponed for the 7th times. This was expressed by Tariq Hassan, Chairman, EPZA while talking to profit here on Wednesday. The proposed zone was to be made at around 300 sqy land in baldia and keamari town. The project was initiated by the authority following the proposal of suggestion of President Zardari. He said due to the bureaucratic hurdles and lack of interest on the part of the provincial government the important project was facing delays. Talking about the new initiatives he taken after holding the charge at epza, he said that over 20 new companies have entered in the zone while building their own factories and offices. Further companies were also showing interst to be the member of the zone. All required facilities would be provided to the new entrants. He informed that the authority while taking serious notice of power theft in the zone, which was unresolved for the last 20 years, has strictly started monitoring the electricity meters. Almost 28 meters were tempered while many others were faulty. As the authority pays to KESC in bulk, it was facing huge losses for many years. After the fresh move, he claimed, the authority would save over Rs 10 million monthly. Besides, to reduce the huge expenditure on utility bills, EPZA has also introduced water filtration plant to ensure enough water to the the greenery in the zone. The management was also trying to switch the streetlights on solar power.
The authority, he claimed, has also ensured foolproof security to the inhabitants (35,000 employees). However, the grave security situation outside the zone was creating hurdles to the thousands of labours working in the zone.
In reply to a query, Hassan said, for the first time, all commercial attache of the country abroad have been consulted to invite investment in the country’s zones while articles related to the opportunities of investment were being published in leading foreign newspapers.
According to him the authority offers state-of-the-art facilities to investors as well as provides one window facilities to the investors including all utilities like infrastructure and security.
After the visits of Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Canadian Senior Trade Commissioners and trade delegation,EPZA had allotted dozen of new industries that would bring over $15.36 billion investment in the country.
EPZA is one of the best export zone in the world as it charges only 1.5 per cent tax while import is totally free but unfortunately very few people know about EPZA in the world due to negligence commercial consular.
Investors from Dubai , he claimed, have started shifting their business to Export Processing Zones in Pakistan due to higher cost of doing business in the foreign country’s free zones.
It is worth mentioning that the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) was established in Pakistan through an Ordinance of 1980 with the mandate to plan, develop and operate Export Processing Zones in Pakistan. EPZA is an organisation under the Ministry of Industries run by a Board of Directors.
