KOHAT: The joblessness is on the rise at an alarming rate in Kohat where industrial development could not take place due to several reasons.

During the last 34 years, no investment had been made in the industrial sector and the local people had preoccupied plots in the industrial estate just for doing property business since 1990, local people said.

The present industries like three spinning mills, oil and gas exploration companies and cement factory have imported labour from Punjab and despite hue and cry of the local people, who regularly organise strikes for getting jobs, remain unheard.

The local administration and lawmakers also seemed helpless to do anything in this regard during the last 14 years when huge oil and gas reserves were discovered in Kohat district and thousands of people were hired from Punjab to work as officers and labourers here.

There is also shortage of water because the Indus River passes 200 feet below the ground level in Kohat. Some of the areas lie as high as 400 feet from the river, which can become a major source of water for bringing 70 per cent barren area in the district under cultivation.

Some people had bought thousands of acres of barren land at low prices near the Indus for cultivation in the hope that one day Kalabagh Dam would be constructed and the water level would be raised in the district.

A large number of disgruntled youth, who have no ‘connections’ to get jobs or to travel to other parts of the country, are indulging in unhealthy activities. Such people are becoming a burden on the society.

No steps taken for promotion of industries in the district

Realising the situation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could ask the federal government for certain concessions in tax and electricity tariff for the industrial estate of Kohat if people promised to establish at least 15 industries, the local residents said. The government can ask entrepreneurs to shift their industries from other parts of the country to Kohat if they really want to serve the people and resolve the problem of joblessness and lawlessness in the district.

Talking to this correspondent, some members of a delegation that met the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently said that investment was not a problem but the real trouble was the proximity of Kohat with the tribal areas.

During the last few decades, many businessmen had been kidnapped for ransom in the district. Before the deployment of army in the tribal area especially Darra Adamkhel and Orakzai Agency, hundreds of people were kidnapped in two to three years but now the rate has dropped to 18 or 20 per year which is still distressing for the investors.

The industrialists said that how could they trust the government when not a single kidnapper was arrested. Ironically, the local political leaders, some of whom are regarded the trusted companions of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, instead of resolving this problem established businesses in other parts of the country, discouraging the people, who wanted to make investment in industrial sector in Kohat.

Former law minister Iftikhar Hussain Gilani and district nazim Malik Asad have their business firms in Islamabad. Similarly, former speaker of the provincial assembly Masood Kausar, former MNA Javed Ibraheem Paracha and former MPA Syed Qalbe Hassan have invested money in businesses in Peshawar and Punjab. Former minister Hidayatullah Afridi (late) had his transport business in Karachi.

The condition of the industrial estate, which was established here two decades ago, is also very disappointing. Only five firms started garments, wood and foot wear business but were forced to wind it up due to power loadshedding, huge taxes and extortion by certain criminal gangs.

An officer of industrial development, when contacted, said that hardly one or two people came to them in a year with an idea of establishing industry. During the last 56 years, the district could get only eight big industries like spinning mills and a cement factory. There are six ice factories in the whole area which work only for four months in a year.

The local people said that authorities should stop property dealers from doing business in the industrial estate. The department concerned should cancel the allotment of plots to such people so that genuine industrialists could get plots in the industrial estate.

In the presence of a whole division of army, signal training centre, second biggest airbase of the province and Hangu police training college, three garments factories were need to work day and night to produce only uniforms for the troops, the local people said.

Published in Dawn January 19th , 2015

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