Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh’s government authorities are totally helpless get 1000 flats vacated which were constructed for laborers despite being approached by law enforcement agencies, home department, and city administration several times.

Labor and Human Resources Department has been writing letters to Inspector General of Police, Home Department, and even to Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) to help the department vacate 1000 flats meant only for laborers. But no concrete action has been taken in this regard for the past many years.

Sources told Daily Times that the Chief Minister after receiving a formal briefing from the labor authorities has once again directed divisional administrations to vacate 1000 labor apartments illegally occupied by different mafias.

The CM was briefed on labor issues by Advisor to CM on Labor; Senator Saeed Ghani, Law advisor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon, Secretary Labour Rasheed Solangi, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi and others.

Saeed Ghani informed that around 1000 apartments were constructed at Gulshan-e-Myamaar for industrial workers, and were allotted to them through balloting. But instead of laborers some people from police, other government departments, and private organizations have illegally occupied these flats.

The CM directed Commissioner Karachi Aijaz Ali Khan to take necessary action and get these apartments vacated and report to him. “The flats were meant for workers and must be given to them,” he said.

Secretary Labor Rasheed Solangi said that there are 765,000 workers registered in Sindh and these workers and their dependents are being provided health facilities through five hospitals, five medical centers, and 39 dispensaries.

Saeed Ghani said that under ILO Conventions `Universal Social Security’ may be provided to all the workers/laborers even if they are self-employed such as pathara holders and push cart operators. He proposed to collect 3% minimum wage from them to provide them health and education facilities.

He said that `Benazir Card’ issued by NADRA would be given to the registered workers for availing health and education facilities. It was also discussed in the meeting that most of the functions or objectives of SESSI, provincial EOBI, and Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) are similar; therefore, they should be merged to form a single institution to avoid unnecessary duplication.

It was pointed out that Rs 10.39 billion of Workers Profit Participation Fund were deposited in the office of the Nazir due to some petitions filed in the high court. The CM directed Advocate General Zamir Ghumro to get the amount released so that the same could be transferred to workers’ Welfare Board.

Advisor on Labour Saeed Ghani pointed out that there is a dire need to develop two more labor colonies — one at Ghaggar and one at Daharki. For this purpose, he requested to the CM to allot 200 acres of land (100 acres at Ghaggar and 100 acres at Daharki) to Workers Welfare Board, which is responsible for providing housing facilities to secured workers. The CM directed Labor Department to send a detailed proposal to him in this regard.