Businessmen slam illegal actions of industries, trade related departments

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Businessmen have flayed the harassment and issuance of illegitimate notices by industries and trade related provincial departments during unnecessary crackdown on industrial units and urged the provincial government and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take prompt notice of unfriendly attitude of the departments and stop unlawful actions immediately.

The reservations were conveyed by a delegation of businessmen from Hayatabad Industrial Estate and Small Industrial Estate Peshawar during a meeting with Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sherbaz Bilour here at the chamber house on Wednesday.

The meeting was informed about harassment of Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), Employees Social Security Institutions (ESSI) and provincial Labour department to industrialists by using various tactics.

The participants expressed serious concern over inaction of the aforementioned departments despite bringing the issue into notice several occasions, but the ‘hooliganism’ of the involved officers was yet not ended.

The meeting furthermore stated that the provincial minister for Labour and Culture during his visit to Chamber House apprised him about reservations of the business community, but it is unfortunate fact that the departments concerned are least bothered to take any action against the officials concerned.

Sherbaz Bilour expressed anguish over harassment of industrialists by trade and commerce related departments. He made it clear that they will not allow forceful entry of personnels of EOBI, ESSI and Labour departments, harassment and disrespect of the business community at any cost.

SCCI chief said that the industries are the prime source of employment and attached jobs of a large number of people. He warned that the fragile national economy would be brought further into a complete collapse, if the illegal actions of the provincial government department couldn’t’ stop immediately.

He urged the Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to issue instructions to stop the relevant departments from launching unnecessary raids and issuance of illegal notices forthwith, if in case he cannot do so, clearly asked the industrialists to close their manufacturing units.

Earlier, the businessmen alleged the blackmailing of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa trade and commerce related department is rampant, saying that despite time and again pointing out this issue, the EOBI, ESSI and labour department are reluctant to take any action against concerned officials.

The furthermore alleged that officials of EOBI, ESSI and Labour departments barged in offices in Industrial Estate Hayatabad and Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar, started harassing industrialists, importantly the officials were demanding heavy money for withdrawal of illegal and unrealistic notices against them.