HCCI chief asks govt for package to rehabilitate business infrastructure
HYDERABAD: President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Adeel Siddiqui has urged Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sindh to announce a business assistance package for rehabilitating business infrastructure destroyed during ongoing devastating rains in Sindh particularly Hyderabad. He said Sindh government should offer some relief to businessmen in provincial taxes.
He was addressing a meeting of business community. Appreciating Sindh government’s step of declaring Hyderabad as calamity hit district and realizing difficulties of business community, HCCI said that urban flooding triggered by 400mm of rainfall in Hyderabad had destroyed homes, shops, godowns and warehouses after having been flooded.
He maintained that traders were not able to run their businesses due to two months long rains. They were going through mental agony due to fallouts of rains, he stated. He called for deferring payments of utilities’ bills for two months under present circumstances. He said that businessmen had borne losses to the tune of millions of rupees.
HCCI Chief claimed that like provincial government federal government should also offer relief in its taxes to business community to enable businessmen revive their business activities as possible. HCCI president wondered when district administration would be able to dewater areas affected by rainwater accumulation as all business centres were still flooded.
Mr. Adeel Siddiqui said without drainage of rainwater trade activities could not be revived. He said that Hyderabad was being meted out step motherly treatment. He said out of billions of rupees relief fund for rain affected people of Sindh, CM Sindh had given Rs10m for Hyderabad which contributes billions of rupees taxes to provincial and federal kitties. He said that this Rs10m was just a joke with businessmen.
HCCI Chief said that Hyderabad Electric Supply Company had multiplied miseries of people of the city adding that several transformers were burnt during and after rains leading to prolonged disruption of electricity in those areas.
Mr. Siddiqui said Hesco staff was seen demanding money for repair of transformers which was highly deplorable. He said telecommunication system had been paralyzed and asked Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to pay attention to this issue and resolve this matter with cellular phone companies.
