Labour welfare: Govt doing its best for the uplift of workers, says Sher Ali

Rs1 billion has been allocated for the construction of roads in stone crushing area

LAHORE:

Sargodha district has the distinction of having the largest stone crushing industry in Asia, Minster for Mines and Minerals Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan said on Monday.

He was presiding over a meeting to review the progress on development schemes for labourers working at the stone crushing factories. Chief Inspector of Mines Siddique Chaudhary, Mines Welfare Director Riaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Mines Environment Director Afzaal Ahmad Butt, Resource Mapping Director Allah Yaar and Senior Research Officer Mian Zahid Mahmood attended the meeting

Khan said the government was using all possible resources and a large portion of the revenue collected from the stone crushing factories in the area to set up welfare projects for the uplift of quarry workers and their families.

He said Rs1 billion had been allocated for the construction of roads in the stone crushing area and a Mines Labour Colony was being constructed on 38 kanals in Sargodha. A Mines Rescue and Safety Station was being built in Chakwal with an outlay of Rs80 million. “The department is trying to ensure and upgrade safety measures for the workers at these factories.”

The participants of the meeting were told that a 10-bed Mines Labour Welfare Hospital had been established at a cost of Rs90 million for the workers of stone crushing factories near Sargodha. The idea is to provide free health services to the workers and their families round-the-clock. The hospital is equipped with an ambulance, an X-ray machine; it has an operation theatre, an ECG machine and a clinical laboratory. The participants were told that more than 5,500 workers and their families would be facilitated by the hospital.

A Mines Welfare Girls High School has also been established at a cost of Rs140 million on 52 kanals. The participants were told that 83 students had been enrolled there so far. The students were provided free education, books and uniforms.

The participants also discussed matters pertaining to the welfare of the workers, and measures to be taken to prevent accidents at stone crushing sites.

They discussed possible educational scholarships, the EOBI, pensions, training workshops and courses for workers. Khan directed relevant officers to complete development projects on target. He said a 300MW coal-fired power plant at Pind Dadan Khan and the coal mining project at Choa Saidan Shah would not only help ease the energy crisis but also create new job opportunities for locals.    

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2015.