LAUNCHED by the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) in 1995, about 4,000 plots were allotted through ballot in the Cottage Industrial Zone at Orangi Township. Some initial work was done by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), but due to the area having been encroached upon, further development was stopped. It is now claimed by the authorities that all encroachments have been cleared, but in spite of several appeals to many officials and political leaderships, neither the allottees have so far been given physical possession of their plot of land nor have they been refunded the amounts already paid.
Small industries are the backbone of emerging economies. It is now time to revive all such dead projects, making them operational without which the vision of seven to eight per cent growth with greater employment opportunities can never ever be fulfilled no matter how dedicated an individual or relevant a ministry is.
Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2021
