ECC to meet tomorrow
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—The meeting of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of cabinet will be held on Tuesday with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in chair and is expected to approve a National Liquefied Gas (LPG) Policy 2005 together with exemption from 5 percent customs duty and 15 percent general sales tax on the import of LPG in the country to meet the national demand and import of construction material from India would be discussed, sources said.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has submitted the LPG Policy 2005 for consideration and approval of the ECC.
The ECC will also take the decision on the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee on Production of Standardized and Clean Cotton along with imposing ban on the export of cotton from the country or continuation of the existing policy of free import or export of cotton from the country.
The Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives has once again submitted a proposal on the National Policy of Power Co-generation by sugar industry and the ECC is expected to decide the policy with special incentives for the sugar mills.
A proposal relating to the Transfer of Pakistan Steel Mill’s downstream Industrial Estate to the National Industrial Parks Development and Management Company for developing the estates for industrial parks in the country is also expected to be discussed and decided. The ECC will take up the issue pending for many years before the government relating to refund of money to the affectees of Islamabad New City project. According to the affectees an amount of Rs 450 million is still due to the affectees. The ECC is expected to extend the grace period for Wireless Local Loop (WLL) spectrum fee payment that was determined through open bidding.Few WLL companies have requested the government to extend the deadline for making the payment of the bid amount. The Sarahad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has requested the federal government to impose ban on the export of the shuttering material used in the construction of the buildings.