ICCI backs Steel Market Traders, Urges CDA to Withdraw Basement Construction Charges

WNAM REPORT: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Sardar Tahir Mehmood, has urged policymakers to place ease of doing business at the heart of Pakistan’s economic agenda, stressing that a business-friendly environment is indispensable for sustainable economic growth, investment and employment generation.
Speaking to a delegation of the Traders Welfare Association, Steel Market I-10/3, at the Chamber House, he said ICCI is actively pursuing the concerns of the business community by maintaining close coordination with the FBR, CDA, Islamabad Police, District Administration, IESCO and other relevant institutions. He reaffirmed that the Chamber will continue to serve as the collective voice of traders and industrialists, emphasizing that consultation and consensus are the foundation of effective and lasting solutions.
Earlier, Chaudhry Mohammad Irfan, President of the Traders Welfare Association, Steel Market I-10/3, and Vice President of ICCI, highlighted the key issues confronting the market. He urged the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to construct a link bridge between Streets 4 and 7 to improve traffic flow and accessibility, allow the establishment of a dispensary on the already allocated plot through self-help efforts, and withdraw its demand for hefty charges on basement construction in dedicated commercial plots, noting that such construction had previously been permitted without additional fees. He said the revised policy has created unnecessary financial pressure on traders and should be reviewed.
Association Secretary General Haji Zafar sought ICCI’s support for the allotment of the remaining plots to steel fabricators by CDA and also drew attention to persistent issues of encroachments, sewerage, streetlights and inadequate infrastructure. He further called for the immediate demolition of temporary huts from the area, which he described as a permanent security threat.
Former ICCI Senior Vice President Khalid Chaudhry moderated the session. Executive Members Waseem Chaudhry, Imran Minhas and Zulqurnain Abbasi, ICCI members Israr Mishwani, Chaudhry Mohammad Arshad, Sajid Iqbal, Mian Mohammad Imran, Chaudhry Mushtaq, Khushi Mohammad and a large number of traders also attended the meeting.