He said the construction industry had a brighter future after the One Belt One Road project. He added that under CPEC there were four pillars for cooperation, including development of Gwadar port, infrastructure development, power generation and industrial cooperation. Chinese commercial counsellor said that China was striving to bring Chinese investors in Pakistan for a robust economic growth, but the Pakistani authorities should work on improving the business environment in order to attract more Chinese investments in their country.
Imran Anwar, CEO of Engro Polymer, said that Pakistan had an opportunity to revive its construction industry under CPEC, which could achieve growth in leaps and bounds, and urged the authority concerned to evolve right policy and create a right environment to yield maximum fruits under this multi-billion project. I.A Osmani, senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), gave the assurance of full support to the council to facilitate the construction sector, adding that CPEC should be taken as an opportunity to train Pakistani engineers and developers.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Rahimuddin Ahmad Faruqi, director of logistic at the headquarters of the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), said that there was a need for close collaboration and harmony between public and private partnerships under CPEC, and added that the western route of the corridor should be used as more than a transit way. He said that the country was lacking in technical advancement, diversification, HR development and innovation to handle the One Belt One Road project, and urged the builders and developers to come forward and play their role in this project.
Arif Jeewa, chairman of the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD), said that although the construction sector contributed 2.7 percent in GDP, no government official or department had so far bothered to take the builders on board on this project. Nasir Hussain Shah,Sindh minister for information, and Murtaza Ali Baloch, advisor on Katchi Abadies and spatial development, inaugurated the 13th Build Asia, which would continue till December 20.
Makers of over 350 brands are participating, having more than 600 stalls. They include: builders and developers, air-conditioning plants and equipment, landscaping, asphalt plants, bathroom fittings, ceramic and porcelain tiles, concrete technology and blocks, marble and granite, burglar alarm systems, CAD/ CAM software, furniture and carpets, false ceiling, cement manufacturers, construction chemicals, construction equipment, tools and hardware, earth-moving machinery and equipment, electricity generators and cables, escalators and elevators.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017