Karachi, February 15, 2018 (PPI-OT): The “Sindh Doing Business Reforms Exhibition”, hosted by the Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) with technical support and facilitation from the World Bank, was held today in Karachi. At the occasion, concerned departments showcased the ground-breaking reforms that have been introduced under the Doing Business Reforms in the province. The reforms are part of the Government of Sindh’s current focus on moving aggressively to transform the regulatory environment of the province to help make Sindh the next business powerhouse. These efforts are part of the larger plan developed to introduce Doing Business reform at the federal and provincial levels.
With regards to this endeavour, the Government has also formed Sindh Investment Climate Improvement Cell (SICIC) – a dedicated unit for execution of the reform agenda. Mr Muhammad Waseem, Chairman Planning and Development Sindh, and the first speaker at the event, expressed satisfaction that Sindh has played a constructive role in integrating the economy of Pakistan. “These business reforms will put our people on the trajectory of economic prosperity and will set a pattern for the province of Sindh,” he said.
Chairperson SBI and Focal Person for DB Reforms, Ms Naheed Memon, said while addressing the event that there is increased commitment from the Government of Sindh, The Chief Minister of Sindh, and also thanked the support of the federal Board of Investment. “This is not just an effort of a hundred days; this is an ongoing effort that will evolve,” said Ms Memon. In her presentation she shared the success story of introducing these ground-breaking reforms in detail, lauding the efforts of concerned departments. “We are always compared with Punjab.
We are not just doing it better when it comes to these reforms; we are doing it quicker. Even though Karachi is a bigger city with more complicated challenges,” she said. Ms Memon said that she saw Pakistan on the verge of industrialization, and urged the private sector as well as the media to positively reinforce these efforts and encourage the Government of Sindh regarding these reforms. She also shared the results of the Twitter Poll in which it was asked “What is your biggest issue in Doing Business in Karachi?”
Mr Amjad Bashir, Senior Economist from the World Bank, shared rankings of the Doing Business report of the World Bank, pointing out why these reforms are so integral to improving the investment climate in Pakistan. He also announced the 100 Days Sprint-2 and a 100 Days Sprint-3, a plan that will continue and follow up on the reforms’ agenda. He expressed the importance of the steps that will lead to achieving the targets. He said that the four key pillars Beyond Sprint-1 are as under: Benchmark, Catch-Up, Promote and Feedback.
Speaking about the 100 Day Reforms, Country Director World Bank Mr PatchamuthuIllango said that Pakistan needs 2 to 3 million new jobs every year. “For that you need significant investment from the private sector.” He said that one hundred day Sprint would not be enough. “If we slow down, someone else will overtake you. The Sprint should turn into a Marathon.” He stressed upon the importance of communication in the promise, and added that the private sector needs to know more about the reforms, the prevailing perceptions need to change, and everyone needs to be convinced about the importance of these reforms.
Ms Shabana Khawar, Principal Country Officer of International Finance Corporation, echoed what Mr Illango said, and said that this effort must continue beyond a hundred days. At the occasion, President KCCI, Mr Mufassar Malik said that on behalf of the private sector, he extended full support to the Ease of Doing Business Sindh Reforms, and lauded the setting up of SICIC.
Mr Naeem Zamindar, Chairman Board of Investment, answered questions from the audience about the reforms. The event was attended by important people from both the public and private sectors, and so representation of all relevant government departments that have championed the cause of Doing Business reforms in Sindh.
The reforms:
As a first step towards reforms aimed at facilitating the acquiring of construction permits for citizens, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has eased out the procedure for the approval and issuance of Construction Permits for residential houses and non-obnoxious warehouses (Category-I buildings).
As part of this ground-breaking reform, the requirement of interdepartmental No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and other NOCs of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW and SB), Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Exercise and Taxation Department Government of Sindh have been waived off. For this first in a series of reforms, the procedures and the timeline for approvals of construction permits for residential houses and non-obnoxious warehouses have been revisited. These reforms are applicable for the city of Karachi.
The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) recently de-notified the requirement for environmental approval for nine types of projects. These projects are low-impact environmentally and can now be started without applying for the SEPA’s approval by submitting an Environmental Checklist.
SEPA has also improved the timeframe for granting environmental approvals. The approval process for Environmental Checklists will now be completed in 15 Working Days compared to 30 earlier. This reform will facilitate getting construction permits more smoothly and readily; this ease of processes is aimed at incentivizing the inflow of business toward the province of Sindh.
Reforms introduced by the Board of Revenue (BoR) Sindh will help make registering property quicker and easier than ever before. For example the overall time required to register property in Karachi has been reduced from 208 days to just 17 days. With the Digital Scanning Unit replacing microfilming technology, time spent at the Sub-Registrar Offices can now be reduced by 96%. 50% archival registries of Karachi have been digitized.
Transparency and ease of access ensured with online services at www.sindhzameen.gos.pk and App Sindh Zameen®, with standard registration templates and tax calculator available online, and Live Dashboard of Property Registries in Karachi. Title search facility is now available online through Land Administration and Revenue Management Information System (LARMIS), and an Online Complaint Management System and UAN is available at 111-267-467.
In connection with the furthering of this plan, customer-friendly reforms have been introduced by K-Electric, including one-window solutions for the provision of new power connections that will help simplify the new connection process. Also, KE has facilitated making the application process faster and simpler at 29 locations across Karachi, introduced simple to understand new connection request forms, available on KE website, reduced new connection documentation requirements, and other reforms that will help in Reduced Turnaround Time (TAT).
For more information, contact:
Information and Archives Department
Directorate of Press Information
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk