MIRPUR, AJK: Mirpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Umar Shehzad Jarral has strongly opposed the reported move to abolish the Grade-18 post of joint director industries from AJK’s only industrial district of Mirpur and shifting it to Muzaffarabad.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, Jarral said that the business community will not tolerate any such decision that adversely affects industrial facilitation in the district.He alleged that certain officials in the ranks of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Department of Industries and Commerce were attempting to relocate the post under a secretly devised plan aimed at serving vested interests and creating obstacles in administrative matters.
He said the Joint Director Industries Office was established in Mirpur to facilitate industrialists following persistent efforts by the chamber of commerce and has been providing valuable services to businesses operating in the Mirpur Industrial Estate.“The business community in Mirpur is already facing numerous challenges. We will not allow any conspiracy that further complicates matters for investors and industrialists,” he said.
He urged the government to act prudently and avoid putting the business sector through unnecessary difficulties.Jarral noted that the Mirpur Industrial Zone plays a vital role in the economy of Azad Kashmir, contributing more than Rs6 billion annually in tax revenue while providing employment opportunities to over 4,000 people.
He warned that shifting the joint director industries post to Muzaffarabad would force industrialists and traders to travel frequently to the capital for routine official work, causing inconvenience and increasing business costs.
Meanwhile, reports of the proposed closure of the office of the joint director have sparked concern among members of the business community, who have vowed to strongly resist any such move.
Business community leaders have appealed to AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore to ensure that the Joint Director Industries Office stays in Mirpur in view of the need of the local business community.
