For the workers: Workers’ Welfare Board to construct labour colonies in the Punjab

Several projects costing billions of rupees are underway, says Sarwar

LAHORE: Punjab Workers’ Welfare Board (PWWB) will construct residential colonies for industrial workers and labourers in the province, Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said. These colonies will have state-of-the-art facilities.

Sarwar was presiding over a review meeting regarding various development projects on Wednesday.

Labour Secretary Ishrat Ali, Rawalpindi DCO Sajid Zafar, PWWB Secretary Muhammad Saleem Hussain and Works Director Muhammad Mazhar also attended the meeting.

Hussain said projects worth billions of rupees including labour welfare complexes, WWB schools, multi-purpose community centres and mosques were underway in Multan, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi, Okara and Gujranwala. He said filtration plants and a drainage system will also be installed for industrial workers and their families.

Hussain said that a project to build 992 flats at a cost of Rs3,017 million at a labour colony in Multan would be completed in two years. Construction of a labour welfare complex at a cost of Rs7.7 billion in Sundar, Kasur, would begin next month.

Hussain said a project to build a labour colony in Quaid-i-Azam Apparel Park, Sheikhupura, was also under consideration.

DCO Zafar appraised the minister of the progress on the construction of 576 flats on 142 kanals at the Taxila Labour Colony in Rawalpindi.

Sarwar said a project to construct 208 flats at a cost of Rs926 million in Warburton in Nankana district, will be completed this year.

He said the government was in the process of acquiring land for the construction of labour complexes in Okara, Kasur and Gujranwala. He said they would ask for funds for the projects from the Federal Workers’ Welfare Board.

The minister directed the relevant officers to remove the bottlenecks in the construction of these projects and complete these projects for the welfare of labourers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2015.