FPCCI demands reopening of restaurants, marriage halls
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Sunday demanded the government allow reopening of restaurants at the earliest with minimum 50 per cent seating capacity under the standard operating procedures (SOPs), set by the government.
In a meeting with Provincial Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal, along with a delegation of the restaurants and marriage halls owners here, FPCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar urged the authorities concerned to announce a date for reopening of the eateries. He said the govt had assured the restaurant owners several times of reopening their businesses. He said that countrywide lockdown in the wake of COVID19 pandemic had officially been lifted for a long time, as gyms, salons, shopping malls, markets and almost every business had been allowed to reopen except for restaurants, which is not fair.
The restaurants owners said on the occasion that during the lockdown they were constantly taking up the issue of reopening of restaurants with the high-ups, requesting them to look after the industry, which is suffering a lot. They said that the authorities' response was apparently quite encouraging, and even the provincial cabinet committee decided several times to allow restaurants to reopen, but the decision had yet to be implemented.
Mian Anjum Nisar recommended that the rent of restaurants established at government owned properties and parks should be waived off at 50 per cent. He said that during the closure period, restaurants had incurred operational expenditure without any revenue from their own resources including payroll, salaries, utility bills, rentals etc. Therefore, financial assistance package was required for restaurants by way of working capital facility of up to Rs 10 million as soft loan without markup.
He asked the provincial minister to recommend federal government that a similar package should be given to restaurants as given to small industries and commercial shops where three months for loads up to 70 kilowatts be waived off.
Chairman Standing Committee for Defence
Amjad Ali Khan MNA has said that welfare, prosperity, country's progress and economic stability of 220 million people are top priorities of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Addressing a meeting called to review the ongoing development schemes under the PM Package at DC Officer, he said that the prime minister had put the national Interest above the political interest by presenting a tax-free budget in such difficult circumstances.
The MNA said that despite adverse situation due to coronavirus pandemic, the government took revolutionary steps and austerity measures by cutting current expenditures and provided a comprehensive relief package for the deserving class.
The standing committee chairman said that for fighting COVID-19, the federal government introduced a historical package of Rs1240b for providing relief to the virus affected people and the business community.
DCO Omar Sher Chattha briefed MNA Amjad Ali Khan regarding the ongoing development projects of road sector, education, public, health, irrigation sectors, provision of gas and electricity in the district.