Peshawar: Owners of small factories have expressed grave concern over the abrupt and exorbitant increase in service charges by the Small Industrial Development Board (SIDB), along with unwarranted actions by ESSI, EOBI, and other government institutions.

These concerns were raised during a meeting between a delegation of the Small Industrial Estate Association (SIEA) Kohat Road, led by its President Wahid Arif Awan, and President of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Junaid Altaf, held at the Chamber House.

The delegation included the Patron-in-Chief of the Association and former SCCI President Engr Maqsood Anwar Pervez, Senior Vice President Muhammad Sohail, former Senior Vice President Imran Khan Mohmand, and other members including Muhammad Shakar, Shakeel Ahmad, Insaf Shah, Noor Muhammad, Zahid Hussain, Nadeem Masood, Jamshid Ahmad, Adnan Kiramat, and Arbab Munsaf.

The meeting discussed issues faced by small industrialists operating in Industrial Estate Kohat Road, particularly the excessive increase in SIDB service rates and the unnecessary actions of ESSI, EOBI, Labour, and Environment Departments. Participants said such anti-industry measures discourage investment and called for business-friendly policies and special incentives to promote ease of doing business and create employment opportunities in the province.

SCCI President Junaid Altaf assured the delegation that their issues would be raised with the federal and provincial governments and relevant authorities. He emphasized that industrial growth requires collective efforts and policy reforms, calling for a 15-year long-term policy and low-interest loans for SMEs through commercial banks such as BoK and NBP.

He revealed that negotiations were already underway with the government and banking sector to secure maximum relief for the business community. He also announced that SCCI plans to conduct a comprehensive survey of various industrial and commercial sectors to gather input for policy improvement and issue resolution.

Earlier, the SIEA delegation congratulated Junaid Altaf on his election as SCCI President and expressed confidence in his leadership for addressing the challenges of the business community on a priority basis.