RAWALPINDI, NOV 30: /DNA/ – Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has announced that a new industrial estate would be constructed near the Rawalpindi Ring Road on the demand of industrialists. Due to the improvement of industrial infrastructure, domestic and foreign investors are preferring Punjab for investment. Manufacturing of mobile phones is going to start in Punjab in the next six months, the minister said during his visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). The minister directed immediate improvement of the link road to Rawat Industrial Estate. Minister Shafay Hussain said that Rawalpindi, the third-largest city in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad, holds immense industrial and commercial potential.
Highlighting government initiatives and priorities, the minister informed that a grid station has already been built in the Bhalwal Industrial Estate, where electricity will be provided to industrialists at rates lower than market prices.
Earlier, President RCCI Usman Shaukat briefed the minister on RCCI’s ongoing initiatives, especially the Rawalpindi Ring Road project and the proposed economic and industrial zones planned along its route. He highlighted that these zones would significantly boost commercial activity and accelerate industrial growth. He added that relocating existing terminals and markets from the city would help improve traffic flow. Emphasizing a long-standing demand, he urged the immediate construction of the access road to the Rawat Industrial Estate, which would help operationalise more than 500 industrial units.
Group Leader and Former President Sohail Altaf added that high taxation and rising energy prices have greatly increased the cost of doing business. He stressed the need for the government to impose Section 4 along the Rawalpindi Ring Road to acquire land without delay, warning that prices would escalate further once the project is completed.
Chairman PIEDMC Javed Iqbal and Former Minister Dr. Amjad accompanied the minister on the occasion. Chamber President Usman Shaukat, Group Leader Sohail Altaf, Chairman Ring Road Development Committee Asad Mashadi, senior office bearers, and former presidents warmly received the provincial minister. Senior Vice President Khalid Farooq Qazi, Vice President Fahad Barlas, FPCCI Vice President Tariq Jadoon, women entrepreneurs, chamber members, and traders from various markets and industries also attended.
