The government is committed to provide a new interchange and link road to Faisalabad Industrial City, that is, M3 Industrial city, between M-3 and M-4 motorways, as per the demand of the Faisalabad Investment Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC).
Influential PTI leader, Jahangir Khan Tareen, revealed this in a discussion with Dr. Moeed Pirzada in his talk show, called ‘Hard Talk’, aired on 92 news, on Wednesday 22nd January. Tareen is accredited with the creation of PIEDMC and FIEDMC, which are initiatives of public-private partnerships since 2003 and 2004.
In the television discussion, he explained how Punjab Investment Estate Development and Management Company (PIEDMC) was established first, after which the Faisalabad Business community approached him for involvement. Mian Muhammad Lateef, Chairman and CEO of the Chenab group, was reportedly the first industrialist to meet with Tareen as a representative of the Faisalabad magnates demanding a separate public private partnership company between Punjab government and the industrialists from Faisalabad. After this meeting, FIEDMC came to life, in 2003, with Mian Muhammad Lateef as its Chairman.
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According to Tareen, PIEDMC and FIEDMC are essentially government organizations managed by the private sector. This works for the benefit of many. Private companies could easily provide facilities in terms of provision of basic amenities like, sui gas, electricity, etc. along with corporate administration skills and manpower that the government could not. Hence, this proved to be a potent partnership.
After its inception, FIEDMC grew on to construct state-of-the-art industrial estates, focusing on engineering, pharmaceutical, automobile, chemical, textile, steel rolling and building material sectors among many others. They started with Value addition City (VAC), located at a distance of 35 km from the center of Faisalabad.
Their second project was M-3 Industrial City (M-3-IC) – Special Economic Zone – which is currently the largest industrial estate of Pakistan. It is strategically located on M-4 motorway at Sahianwala Interchange, some 23 km away from the center of Faisalabad.
The importance of this interchange is to enable convenience of commute. It would facilitate entry into and exit from FIEDMC’s M-3 industrial city, given the estate’s location between M-3 and M-4 motorways
Their third project was recently inaugurated by PM Imran Khan on 3rd January 2020. Allama Iqbal Industrial City (AIIC) is built with international standards on an expanse of over 3000 acres. This is one of CPEC’s Priority Special Economic Zone and is conveniently located just opposite M-3 Industrial City. Both of these zones are interconnected through a flyover at Sahianwala Interchange on the M-4 motorway.
At the inauguration of the Allama Iqbal Industrial City, FIEDMC officials brought forward a demand to build an interchange after the Sahiawala interchange between M-3 and M-4 motorways, in order to better utilize the 7000 acres of land dedicated to the three industrial estates built by FIEDMC.
In another television transmission, Asad Umer, Federal Minister for planning and development, also shared that the upcoming budget 2020-2021 might include an allocation of funds for the construction of said interchange. These announcements prove that the demand has been accepted and is incumbent in the eyes of the government.
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The importance of this interchange is to enable convenience of commute. It would facilitate entry into and exit from FIEDMC’s M-3 industrial city, given the estate’s location between M-3 and M-4 motorways. This link road will further help manage incoming and outgoing traffic on the motorway, almost separating vehicles traveling to the industrial estates. Such an investment from the government will attract foreign and local financiers, whereby highlighting the importance of government support for the success of large scale national initiatives.