Daily Times

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (HCCI) newly-elected president Muhammad Shahid on Tuesday received a vote of confidence from 16 out of the total 24 members during an emergent meeting of executive committee of the chamber, according to the press release issued by HCCI.

Reportedly, the chamber had been seized by the district administration since July 7 after a tussle between two groups, where one group supported the new president, whereas the other backed former HCCI president Ikram Rajput. Meanwhile, the police force was deployed in front of the chamber to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Surprisingly, Seth Goharullah, the owner of Fateh Group of Industries, had been the president of HCCI for more than three years, without conducting yearly elections. Consequently, an irked group of businessmen formulated another chamber under the name of Small Chamber of Commerce (SCC).

However, in June 2018, HCCI held elections that elected Ikram Rajput as president, but Seth Goharullah-influenced group could not digest his presidency.

The conflict in between members of HCCI led to the appointment of Muhammad Shahid, nephew of Seth Goharullah, as a new president of the chamber replacing Rajput in a period of one month.

Published in Daily Times, July 12^th 2018.