The local steel sector industrialists in a meeting at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) for restoration of closed steel industrial units as closure of some steel units by the EPA has rendered hundreds of workers jobless apart from creating lot of harassment in the business community.

 

Addressing the meeting, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that industrialists were ready to cooperate with the Pak-EPA for controlling pollution and ensuring compliance of its environmental standards to keep the environment of industrial areas healthy and pollution-free. He said many steel industrialists were ready to provide written confirmation to Pak-EPA about taking measures to meet its requirements and stressed that EPA should allow such industrialists to re-start manufacturing operations. 

 

He said that the steel industry was playing an important role in the development of local economy as it was generating employment, making significant contribution to tax revenue and promoting economic activities, therefore, closing these industrial units on account of environment pollution issue was not an optimum solution. 

 

He emphasized that Pak-EPA should avoid such strong-arm tactics in the larger national interest as closing industries would discourage new investment. He urged upon the Pak-EPA to give at least 90 days period to the existing and new steel industrial units so that they could get the required equipment installed for emissions control in order to promote a healthy environment. 

 

The steel industrialists assured that if Pak-EPA allowed re-opening of closed units, all the cases against it with the courts shall be withdrawn with immediate effect.