SIALKOT: Deputy Commissioner Adnan Mehmood Awan has said that Sialkot leather industry has a major contribution in Pakistan exports.
An annual foreign exchange earner of one billion dollars, the leather industries in Pakistan had the potential for immense growth due to the abundant availability of raw materials and skilled manpower.
For this, it was necessary to promote the leather industry in accordance with international environmental laws and standards.
Punjab Environment Protection Department provided Rs 300 million for the purchase of 400 acres of land in Sialkot Tannery Zone STZ, Punjab Small Industry Corporation provided Rs 500 million for grid station, natural gas, while Ministry of Commerce Pakistan provided soft loan of Rs 1.17 billion for civil works and infrastructure.
So far, an amount of Rs 2 billion had been spent by the government for the establishment of tannery zone, the aim of which was to shift more than 280 tanneries causing pollution in Sialkot city.
He expressed these views while addressing a meeting organized to review the Sialkot tannery zone project and the shifting of tanneries working in Sialkot to the tannery zone here on Friday.
Project Manager STZ Muhammad Atif, Deputy Director DD Environment Protection Waseem Cheema and Inspector Environment Shahid Ali Dogar were also present.
Project Manager Mohammad Atif while giving a briefing about the construction work on Sialkot Tannery Zone Project said that boundary wall of the project, main gate, site office, stores, flood protection embankment, increasing and cleaning the capacity of Dogri Naullah II and work of plotting internal electrification of the zone had been completed 100%, while work was on progress on the construction of the road, 21 megawatt grid station, poles for high tension and low tension transmission,civil work of grid station control room and transmission yard.
Project Manager STZ said that the most important part of the project was the establishment of a common effluent treatment plant for the chemically contaminated water coming out of the tannery, on which civil work was in progress.
