The board of directors of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) approved the status of the Mohmand Marble City as a special economic zone on Tuesday.
The board, which met with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair, also ordered the acquisition of an additional 2,000 acres of land and the preparation of a feasibility study for the purpose, according to an official statement issued today.
The chief minister urged the necessary officials to expedite the relocation of marble manufacturers from Warsak Road, Malagori, and Shabqadar to Mohmand Marble City, as well as to provide investors with amenities in all of the province’s economic zones as soon as possible.
He issued guidelines requiring investors to begin physical work within six months of receiving plots in economic zones, and if they fail to do so, the plots will be revoked.
The meeting also approved SEZA’s standard operating procedures, which will be submitted for final approval to the federal Board of Investment in Islamabad.
According to the statement, the gathering was informed that the federal BoI had approved the Rashakai SEZ zone regulations, which were included in the development agreement that had already been signed.
The Rashakai Special Economic Zone’s special purpose vehicle has also been registered with Pakistan’s Security Exchange Commission.
The board also considered the proposal for a lone enterprise SEZ in Dera Ismail Khan for the manufacturing of cement and allied building materials, and gave its permission for submission to the federal Board of Investment for approval.
Mr Mahmood instructed the responsible authorities to make visible progress on all economic zone projects, and stated that one of the government’s main priority is to provide work opportunities for the people through increasing industrial activity in the province.
