LAHORE: Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal has said that the master plan for Lahore will be finalised soon in which commercial and industrial areas will be identified, a statement said on Monday.

Speaking at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), he informed that land has been identified in Muzaffarnagar for the establishment of an industrial zone.

Iqbal said that the government is taking all possible measures for improving the business atmosphere. “The government and private sector must be on one page to keep the wheel of trade and industry moving,” he added.

LCCI will be given representation in the trade and industry related departments, he said, adding that 1,450 new factories have been set up in small industrial estates in the last three and a half years.

The minister said that a meeting between LCCI office bearers and Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) chief executive officer will be arranged. The flood has caused destruction everywhere and there is a need to work together to help the flood victims, he added.

LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir, Senior Vice President Mian Rehman Aziz Chan and Vice President Haris Ateeq also spoke on the occasion.

Kabir said that LCCI has created a flood relief fund with an initial amount of Rs10 million.

There is a dire need for establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Lahore as two existing estates have almost reached their full capacity, he added.

The LCCI president said that the cost of land in the industrial estates is exorbitantly high. There is a need for a simple lease policy through which the land in the existing and new industrial estates can be provided at reasonable rates on long term lease, particularly for the Small and Medium Enterprise.