Following the same analogy, the prime focus was given to the locational aspects of any practice performed by the respondents in the business sector. Again, it has been found that almost all the practices were performed either in the respondents’ birthplaces or last places of residence. There was only one practice which was only partly performed in the birthplace of the respondent. Mainly, the practices which were carried out in urban places, have been directly linked to the urban development sector. Only in some instances, it has been revealed that the practices performed even in the rural places had some implications for some urban places and hence have been considered for those associated aspects only.
Newly established business activity
There was a respondent who remitted for the establishment of a new business activity in Pakistan. It was a manufacturing activity that was partly located in an urban center and
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166 partly in a rural location. This activity generated a new entrepreneurial activity. Such activities are generally regarded as major contributors in developing the economic base of any location. By virtue of this aspect, I conceived that it had positive implications for the urban development. Other associated aspects attached to this activity are discussed in combination with other activities in the following sections.
Business extension/stabilization
There were two respondents who invested to extend and stabilize a running business. One respondent did it from an investment perspective (under return migration intentions) while the other remitted solely to help stabilize a running business. Among these two, one of the business activities was located in an urban place while the other was located in a rural location. In this respect, I conceived that the first activity had positive implications for urban development as it was also an activity which contributed in strengthening the economic base of the concerned urban location, while the other activity had no implications for urban development with the respect of its rural location. There were two other respondents who, although did not directly invest in the running businesses in Pakistan, they gave business orders to their contact persons in Pakistan to manage the importing and selling the manufactured goods in Germany. In this way, they were not only earning for themselves, but also contributing towards strengthening concerned business activities in Pakistan. Again, one of the businesses was located in an urban center while the other was partly located in an urban center. So with that connection, these practices also had the positive implications on the overall development of the concerned urban places.
Benefit to the families in Pakistan
It has revealed that for all the carried out practices in business sector, the key contact persons for the respondents were their brothers. In all three practices of establishing a new business, extending a running business and placing business orders, the respondents were remitting to their brothers who were running the concerned businesses in the urban places.
In this way, they were actually contributing to the economic improvements of their families.
In one case, the business activity was located in a rural location, but managed by the concerned brother along with his non-migrant family from their residence in an urban center. This means that the monetary benefits of that rural based business was being partly consumed in an urban place as well. In fact, from the same rural based business, the respondent was also getting profit on a monthly basis, which he was partly consuming in the same urban place of Pakistan during his return visits and partly in Germany too. In that respect, all of these carried out practices in the business sector, had positive implications for the urban development.
Planning approval
There was only one activity of establishing a new business during the study period which was evaluated for its planning approval status. The other businesses were already established since before 2008 and the carried out practices of the respondents did not affect the planning approval status of these businesses. The newly established business was partly located in an urban place and partly in a rural location. It was revealed, however, that
167 in the urban place, it was established in a residential housing building. The activity caused a change of land use (from residential to commercial) which required a prior approval form planning authorities. Also, that house required structural changes to accommodate associated manufacturing needs which also generated a construction activity that lasted for a time span of two to three months. Further, they were using that location for a manufacturing activity which had certain nuisances for the surrounding mixed land uses including the residential housing units. For instance, as that converted housing unit was not a place dedicated to commercial use, it did not have any parking places whatsoever and the respondent revealed that the loading and unloading activity of manufactured goods was being performed by on-road parking from smaller transport vehicles. On these accounts, this practice had associated negative implications for the overall development of the urban place. Upon inquiring about the planning approval status of the carried out practice, the respondent admitted that planning approval from the concerned authority was not sought out. Also, this non-approval status of this carried out practice also caused a loss of significant revenue for the concerned local government in lieu of land use conversion fee/commercialization fee and building plan approval fee and thus on that account was conceived as a negative development. But on the other hand, the aspect of the generation of a construction activity for a significant time period was regarded as having positive implications.
Connection to services
The same housing unit which was converted to a commercial use was required to have access to higher order infrastructure services, mainly the commercial electricity connection to make the place operational. The same respondent explained that he also financially assisted his brother to get the commercial electricity connection. So in this way, the respondent supported the operationalization and establishment of the business. This practice generated some revenue for local government in lieu of a commercial connection fee. Also the business ensured the connection to other relevant services. On that account the carried out practice was a positive development.
Safety measures
Again, the most concerned practice for making this inquiry was the same newly established business activity as all other activities were meant for already established businesses where respondents just invested for their extensions or stabilization. The inquiry revealed that the established manufacturing business lacked the provision of additional security and safety related facilities. It was being run in traditionally ordinary manner without installation of any safety equipment and gadgets. Specifically, it was not equipped with the fire alarms, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, security cameras and other safety gadgets for the employed persons. In this respect, there was a negative aspect attached to the same practice.
Employment generation
Yet again, it was the same activity which generated the employment opportunities for hiring staff. While the respondent was not sure about the employed number of persons, but he confirmed that the newly established business activity employed some staff. Most
Chapter 10 Implications for Urban Development
168 importantly, they registered their business activity with the concerned city authorities and in that sense, the established business created formal sector job opportunities. This was regarded as an added positive aspect for same carried out practice as registering a business activity results in tax payments to the city authorities and thus contributions to the local government revenue generation. It also shows that the employed staff were working in the formal sector, thus it had some degree of job protection and access to certain social services according to the existing labour laws. This was an additional positive aspect of this performed practice.