Administrator MCI assures to address key issues of business community

Islamabad; Syeda Shafaq Hashmi, Administrator, Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad assured that she would work with concerned market associations and industry representatives to address the MCI related key issues of the business community so that they could be facilitated in promoting trade and industrial activities. She said this during an interaction with the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI). Mian Tariq Latif, Director Revenue MCI also accompanied her at the occasion.

Syeda Shafaq Hashmi said that many issues highlighted by the business community were related to the CDA, however, she was ready to sit with CDA’s top brass to resolve problems of traders and industrialists for their ease of doing business. She listened to the various issues of trade and industry including exorbitant hike in property tax, raise in trade license fee and board tax and assured that she would look into these issues to find out their optimum solutions. She said that she would take F-10 Markaz as a pilot project for removal of encroachments and added that things would be taken forward to find solutions with joint efforts.

Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that most of the traders and industrialists of Islamabad were facing common issues and close cooperation of MCI was needed to address them. He said that parking was a serious issue in markets and parking plots should be auctioned to the private sector for construction of parking plazas or build them on BOT basis. It will also generate sufficient revenue for the civic bodies, he added. He urged that property tax should be reduced to make it affordable while trade license fee and board tax should also be rationalized to save traders from unnecessary problems. He said that more parks should be made for citizens and a town hall should be constructed in Islamabad for holding meetings and functions. He said that MCI should take measures to generate yearly economic activity including carnivals, food parks, various sporting events. He said that no one was taking the ownership of Islamabad Citizens Club and emphasized that this club should be made operational in cooperation with stakeholders so that the citizens could take benefit from it.

Mian Akram Farid, Chairman, Founder Group apprised the Administrator MCI of the major issues of industrial areas and stressed that the civic body should take steps to address the highlighted issues. He said that the business community was making significant contributions towards various development works for the beautification of the city and it needed close cooperation of MCI and CDA to resolve issues and develop Islamabad on modern lines.

Abdul Rehman Khan Vice President ICCI, Zafar Bakhtawari, Ahmed Khan President Traders Association F-10 Markaz, Yousaf Rajput President Traders Association Blue Area, Raja Zulsham from Melody Food Park, Baser Daud, Tahir Abbasi, Nasir Chaudhry, Abbas Hashmi, Khalid Chaudhry and others also highlighted various issues. They said that parking was a burning issue in markets that should be addressed on top priority basis. They said that repair of footpaths, carpeting of roads, restoration of streetlights, improvement in sewerage and sanitation was needed and urged that steps should be taken by MCI and CDA to address these issues. They further said that businesses in Melody Food Park should be restored, a cricket ground should be provided for special persons and a graveyard should be provided to the residents of all sectors in Islamabad.