NHA’s CPEC projects exempted from import duties

on 02/01/2018

Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved a proposal for the grant of exemption from tax/duties for import of construction material for infrastructure projects of National Highway Authority under the CPEC project.

This exemption would be applicable only to the construction of Sukkur-Multan section of Peshawar to Karachi Motorway project. Sukkur-Multan Motorway, the six-lane, 393km motorway is part of the eastern route of CPEC. It will be completed in 2019 at the cost of Rs294 billion.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired the meeting of ECC at Prime Minister House. ECC also permitted WAPDA to raise financing from banks against the sovereign guarantee of the government of Pakistan (GoP) for the purpose of clearance of arrears of net hydel profits of the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and government of Punjab. The WAPDA would raise a loan of Rs70 billion from commercial banks to pay net hydel profit (NHP) along with arrears to KPK and Punjab. Punjab and KP are said to be unhappy on undue delay in clearance of their dues. Since WAPDA is running out of money, it has to raise loans backed by a GoP guarantee from commercial banks. The Finance Division assured to provide the requisite guarantee.

The ECC also approved a proposal for reduction of certain regulatory duties on certain items as proposed by the Federal Board of Revenue.  FBR had moved a summary before the ECC for rationalising 10 percent regulatory (RD) imposed on 1250 KV gas generators. Textile industry complained that they are being used by them to reduce the cost of production of the textile products.

The government has also withdrawn RD on spare parts of the auto sector and tyres. The prices of vehicles tyres have surged from Rs.500 to Rs.5,000 after the imposition of RD. Representatives of Tyres Association stated that vehicles tyres do not fall under the category of luxury items and have become a necessity. ECC approved exemption from relending policy of Government of Pakistan for funds released to State Bank of Pakistan for implementation of Financial Inclusion and Infrastructure Project.

The ECC also approved a proposal of Ministry of National Food Security and Research to allow the governments of Punjab and Sindh to export 1.5 and 0.5 million tons of wheat including wheat products. The export of wheat and wheat products would be completed before the 30th June 2018.

Proposal for exemption from provision of section 113 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 for public sector universities was also approved by the ECC. The proposal of exemption from applicability of section 5A of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 to companies with special agreement with the government of Pakistan was approved by ECC.  ECC also approved a proposal for the procurement of 0.3 MMT of sugar from the surplus stock of the sugar mills, through tendering process and to export the same through international tendering process. The step would enable the mills to procure sugarcane from the growers at the prescribed rate and to ensure timely payments to the farmers.

Pakistan participates in Global Irrigation and Drainage Forum

on 29/12/2017

ICID, the world’s premier multilateral institution for Irrigation and Drainage, held its 3rd International Forum and meeting of its International Executive Council in Mexico  in mid-October. Pakistan was represented in this prestigious forum by Engineer Waseem Nazir, Vice President of ICID, PANCID Delegate and Managing Director of MM Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd. Engr. Nazir played a seminal role in the development of ICID’s 2030 Vision and development of roadmap document for addressing global issues on irrigation and drainage. Mr. Nazir’s contribution to the preparation of this Roadmap has enhanced Pakistan’s visibility on the ICID Forum ensuring Pakistan’s strong representation in the Forum and reinforcing our Nation’s prominent role in future events to derive benefits from sustainable water management solutions. On behalf of the Engineering community, we felicitate Engr. Nazir on his role and contributions in promoting Pakistan’s role globally in water management..

EA Consulting sponsors architecture & engineering student design competition at NED University

on 26/12/2017

The opening ceremony of Students Design Competition “CReaTE17” was held on 7th December 2017 at NED University. The competition is sponsored and organized by EA Consulting. The

Dr. Sarosh H.Lodhi, Vice Chancellor NED University

Mr. Ahsan A. Siddiqui. Chief Executive EA Consulting

opening ceremony was held at NED’s main campus, where Dr. Sarosh H. Lodi, Vice Chancellor of NED University and Mr. Ahsan A. Siddiqui, Chief Executive of EA Consulting both expressed their pleasure at the collaboration between the university and industry, and the exciting opportunity being provided to students.

The aim of this integrated competition is to motivate students to extend their knowledge and experience beyond the class room. The competition’s basic intention is to challenge students’ imaginative thinking and creative architectural and engineering approach by working on a real life project assignment. The other main objective is to encourage students to collaborate with students of other departments and better understand priorities of each other to deliver a final product. An overwhelming response from students was observed on the occasion.

The competition invited submissions from teams having 8 undergraduate students in 3rd and   4th year of Architecture and Engineering Programs. Ten teams were shortlisted and to encourage the inter-departmental collaboration, it was mandatory for each team to include the students from Architectural, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical departments.

The competition TOR and design brief were shared with all the teams to provide the opportunity of professional experience. After design submissions from each team, and evaluation by an independent panel of professionals and academicians, the competition will culminate in February 2018 with a recognition and award ceremony.

The competition is planned to be an annual event with the hope that it will become a highly desired event for the students to showcase their creativity and excellence in design solutions. A huge thanks to Dr. Amir Qureshi, Director, Directorate of Industrial Liaison at NED, and the NED coordination committee – for driving this competition on their campus.(Focal persons group pic)EA Consulting the leading national provider of multi-disciplinary engineering and architecture design services in Pakistan and over its 30 years history, has undertaken hundreds of national and international projects for a diverse group of clients.

Cable & conductor industry demands reduction in Regularity Duty

on 25/12/2017

The cable and conductor industry in Pakistan is under severe pressure due to government policies that are allowing for exemptions on duties and sales tax on imports of wires & cables which are manufactured in Pakistan.

Furthermore, these goods are being supplied at very low rates as they are being imported as part of equipment and machinery.

All Pakistan Cables & Conductors Manufacturers  Association (APCCMA) has expressed its grave concern over these government policies and has demanded the imposition of regulatory duty on imports of cable and conductors in Pakistan.

Chairman APCCMA, Mr. Kamal Chinoy stated that the local industry had been actively putting forward their case to FBR and various relevant ministries but has received little support to date. APCCMA had demanded imposition of regulatory duties on all imported cable and conductors.

These matters were presented to the Finance Standing Committee of both the National Assembly and the Senate and in both cases the committees agreed that APCCMA had a valid case and that RD should be applied to the imports of cable and conductors, said Mr. Chinoy. He lamented that despite these recommendations from the standing committees, FBR is yet to act on this.

Local cable and conductor industry employs approximately 3,000 persons is estimated to have contributed over Rs. 4.3 billion to the national exchequer in the past year.  Moreover, in anticipation of growing local demand, the industry invested Rs. 2.2 billion on capital expenditure.

However, there is a huge amount of excess capacity in the country as the imports of wire and cable have grown alarmingly by approximately 60% to US$ 90 million in the past year.

Mr. Amer Azam, Vice Chairman APCCMA, further expressed deep concerns of the local cable and conductor industry that RD is being applied to imported raw materials.   PVC Resin, which is a major raw material, is being protected by both anti dumping and regulatory duty and there are concerns that further regulatory duty may be applied.

This would be a catastrophic outcome for the local industry, which is being forced to compete with imports, while the raw material value continues to increase due to government duties. The APCCMA also expressed concerns of 4% duty being applied to copper cathode, the key raw material for cable manufacturing.  RD on steel wire rod of 25% is another concern of the local industry, as there is no domestic manufacturer of high carbon steel wire in Pakistan and all of it is being imported.

 

‘A reel on Karachi’

on 25/12/2017

Pakistan Cables launches

Contributions of fifty seven artists installed at over twenty public spaces featured in the book compiled to mark completion of project Reel on Hai, a public outreach initiative of the Karachi Biennale Trust (KBT).

Pakistan Cables Limited (PCL) announced the launch of a coffee table book, ‘A Reel On Karachi – Art Installations in the City’ at Alliance Francoise de Karachi in an event which was widely attended by members of the business, art and social communities.

Depicting the project’s illustrated story, this book is a testament to efforts that have brought Reel On Hai to life and allowed for the transformation of cable reels into public works of art. I hope that readers will enjoy it as much as I did while supporting the project as main activity partner alongside KBT,” stated Mr. Kamal A. Chinoy Chief Executive Officer, PCL.

The launch event included a stimulating panel discussion hosted by renowned Karachi based actor, Sajid Hasan who engaged with the panelists recollecting Karachi’s evolving history and the impact of Reel on Hai to the city’s landscape. Panelists included Marjorie Hussain (Art Critic), Arif Hasan (Urban Planner and Activist), Mohsin Sayeed (Public Outreach Committee and Journalist) and Masuma Khawaja Halai (Chair, Public Outreach Committee).

“This book captures the story behind the project and takes its readers on a journey through Karachi brilliantly!” stated Ms. Halai.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Fahd K. Chinoy, Executive Director, PCL who commended the KBT for setting up an exemplary partnership based on a shared purpose of honoring community trust and of giving back beauty to Karachi.

In 2016, PCL signed a MoU with KBT to be the main activity partner for project, Reel on Hai, a public outreach initiative of KBT. Fifty seven artists, local and international, transformed cable reels into works of art which have been installed at public spaces that include schools, hospital, parks, heritage sites across Karachi. A free e-book version of “A Reel on Karachi” is available at the Company’s official website: www.pakistancables.com