LAHORE: The Punjab government will provide all available facilities to the traders and industrialists for doing business, including new special economic zones (SEZs), assures Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to a delegation of businessmen that called on him here on Saturday.

Elahi said that his government from the onset created ease for the traders in doing business, adding that the closure timing curb for the businesses had been lifted across the province, while allowing markets to remain open whole week.

He said the government would provide more facilities to the traders and industrialists in the province, including new state of the art special economic zones (SEZs) in the province.

He stated that the meetings with the trader community and industrialists would continue ona regular basis.

The chief minister said Gujrat was formally granted the status of a division, accepting the long overdue demand of the people, adding that Kunjah and Jalalpur Jattan would also be upgraded to tehsil level.

He vowed to provide clean drinl(ing water and excellent sewerage system in Gujrat division, that would also have its own waste management company.

Local traders and industrialists, on the occasion, lauded the grant of divisional status to Gujrat and allocation of billions of rupees for public welfare projects for the new division.

They thanked the chief minister for lifting the closure timing curb, terming it a businessfriendly step.

Former federal minister Moonis Elahi, MPAs Saleem Sarwar Jora, Mian Muhammad Akhtar Hayat, Chaudhry Liaquat Ali and Muhammad Arshad Chaudhry were also present.