- Advertisement -
SARGODHA, Nov 28 (APP): Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain on Friday inaugurated a 132kV grid station at Bhalwal Industrial Estate (BIE) worth Rs. 1.254 billion.
The minister inspected the supply of electricity from the new grid station to industrial units.
On the occasion, Punjab Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (PIEDMC) Chairman Javed Iqbal briefed the minister on operational details, stating that six factories are currently producing within the 427-acre industrial estate.
He added that industries in Bhalwal Industrial Estate are receiving electricity at 50 percent less than market rates.
Addressing the ceremony, the minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain termed the establishment of the 132kV grid station a highly commendable step, noting that it would ensure uninterrupted and sufficient power supply for all industrial units in the estate.
He also directed authorities to plan for the establishment of a hospital to provide medical facilities to workers.
He highlighted that Punjab’s Special Economic Zones have been strengthened with improved industrial infrastructure.
He announced that VIVO mobile phone manufacturing will begin in Punjab within the next six months, while ten new factories are being set up in the Quaid-e-Azam Business Park, Sheikhupura, adding that the chief minister has approved the development of a new industrial estate on 1,400 acres of barren land in Sialkot.
He urged industries to transition to solar energy to reduce electricity costs and assured that Rescue 1122 and fire brigade services will soon be made available in the Bhalwal Industrial Estate.
He stated that gas supply in the estate remains uninterrupted, encouraging industrialists to invest and benefit from the facilities offered.
The minister praised Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for initiating unprecedented public welfare projects over the past two years and lauded the government’s initiatives for agricultural development and ongoing rehabilitation of flood victims.
Chaudhry Shafay Hussain said that longstanding real estate activity within industrial estates has been halted, and plots are being cancelled for allottees who fail to establish industrial units within two years, as per policy.
He further noted that the federal government is working to bring loan markup rates into single digits. Investors in Special Economic Zones can benefit from a 10-year income tax exemption and one-time duty-free import of machinery.
The ceremony was attended by PEDMC CEO Captain (R) Shoaib Ali, senior officials of relevant departments, Chief Engineer FESCO, President Sargodha Chamber of Commerce Khawaja Yasir Qayyum, and a large number of industrialists.