The 257 acres JEZ will generate around 50,000 direct and job opportunities with expected private sector investment of Rs8billions
our correspondent
PESHAWAR
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan formally performed ground breaking ceremony of Jalozai Economic Zone here Wednesday.
A game-changer for the area, the 257 acres Jalozai Economic Zone will generate around 50,000 direct and indirect job opportunities with expected private sector investment of Rs. 8.00 billions.
Being in the proximity of the provincial capital and adjacency to Engineering University Campus and new housing scheme, the economic zone offers promising potentials to the private investors and enterprising individuals who either intend to expand their existing business or to come up with new start ups. Due to the availability of labour at local level, industries like pharmaceutical, food processing, construction, marble, granite, food packaging and furniture will benefit from investment in the new economic zone.
The well placed Jalozai Economic Zone is connected to federal capital through M-1 Motorway, Torkham and Azakhel Dry Port which adds to its strategic strength. Industrial products from Jalozi EZ could find themselves in high demand areas like Afghanistan, Central Asia, China and urban centres in the region. So far around 400 applications have been received from private sector entrepreneurs for investment in the economic zone.
Addressing the ground breaking ceremony, the chief minister termed the ground breaking of Jalozai EZ in the prevailing corona situation as of high importance and dire need of the hour, and said that it would prove to be a milestone achievement of the provincial government for creating maximum employment opportunities in the area through attracting private sector investment adding that it will boost economic and industrial activities in the region.
Mahmood khan said that the interest shown by industrialists to invest in Jalozai EZ was highly encouraging for the real success of the project.
“The provincial government is taking result oriented steps to promote economic activities in the province with the aim to provide maximum employment opportunities to the people badly affected due to the prevailing corona situation,” added the chief minister.
He remarked adding that similar other economic zones will also be inaugurated in the near future in Chitral, D.I.Khan and Hattar etc.
The Chief Minister revealed that work on the ground breaking of the flagship project of Rashakai Economic Zones is in final stages and its ground breaking ceremony will soon be performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Mahmood Khan stated that promotion of Housing and Construction sectors were the top priorities of his government and as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, concerted efforts were being made under a well devised plan to extend maximum facilitation to private sector investors for investment in these sectors adding that the provincial government has recently approved amendments in the relevant rules and regulations to make the cumbersome process of private investment in these sectors easier in order to attract maximum investment.
The Chief Minister added that the provincial government would provide locally produced electricity to industrial units on cheaper rates through the newly introduced wheeling system to attract more and more investment.
Responding to the baseless allegations and criticism of opposition parties against the provincial government, Mahmood Khan gave an open challenge to them for carrying out inquiry into any mega project of the provincial government by any investigating agency of their choice, and said that the provincial government will come out neat and clean.
He added that those who are enjoying power in a province for the last fifteen year have rendered the province into ruins, and advise them to focus attention on the well being of their people.
The Chief Minister highly lauded the efforts of Special Assistant on Industries and his entire team for making possible the ground breaking of Jalozai EZ well in time.
He also expressed gratitude to former chief minister Pervez Khattak for his efforts to make the establishment of Jalozai EZ a reality.
The ceremony was also addressed by MNA Imran Khattak, Advisor to CM Khaleequr Rehman, Special Assistant to CM Abdul Karim Khan, Secretary Industries, Javed Marwat, CEO KP-EZDMC, Javed Iqbal Khattak and others.
On this occasion the Chief Minister distributed allotments letters of plots amongst the investors.
