HYDERABAD, Feb 17: The anti greater-Thal canal and Kalabagh dam action committee has decided to hold a rally in Sukkur in April. A meeting of the committee was held here on Thursday evening with Qaim Ali Shah in the chair.
The meeting condemned the ongoing army ‘operation’ in Balochistan and urged the government to hold talks with Baloch leaders to solve problems. It also condemned publication of blasphemous cartoons in Danish and other European newspapers.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Qaim Ali Shah said a meeting of the action committee will be held in Sukkur on March 24 to finalize arrangements for the rally.
He said the major issue today was publication of the sacrilegious cartoons and therefore the rally would be held in the third week of April.
Mr Shah said the rally would send a clear massage to the Mahar group which was supporting construction of mega water projects.
He condemned increase in prices of sugar, Hangu massacre and demolition of ancient villages in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Those who attended the meeting included STPP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi, Awami Tehrik leader Ayaz Latif Palijo, SNF leader Ayub Shar, PML-N leader Makhdoom Shahnawaz, JUI leader Taj Nahiyoon and secretary of the action committee Abrar Qazi.
SUGAR MILLS: The Sindh committee of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Workers Federation has demanded abolition of contract and daily wage system in sugar mills.
A meeting of the committee was held here on Thursday with Abdul Majeed Leghari in the chair.
The meeting said workers should be appointed on permanent basis and should be given facilities under the labour laws.
It claimed that the superior judiciary had also not accepted the contract and daily wage system.
Speaking on the occasion, provincial general secretary of the federation, Ashraf Rajput, condemned the contract system and said the mill owners should be made to follow the laws.
He accused the mills and the government for creating artificial sugar crisis in the country. He claimed there was no shortage of sugar.
Mr Rajput alleged that the government had made no efforts to solve differences between the mill owners and growers over sugar cane prices.
The meeting adopted a resolution to condemn publication of blasphemous cartoons in western newspapers.
It said it was a conspiracy to divide workers of the world on religious grounds.
Another resolution demanded stoppage of the ongoing ‘operation’ in Balochistan.
HDA: The director general of the HDA, Tahir Ahmed, has directed the planning and development control department to seal offices of all public sector housing schemes which had failed to deposit external development charges.
He has issued the instructions to take legal action against the defaulters under the Land Revenue Act and Sindh Building Control Ordinance.
He maintained that the defaulters would not only be blacklisted but their licences and no objection certificates also be cancelled.
The director general said no housing scheme would be approved in future if payments were not made in advance.
He advised people to take HDA’s clearance before purchasing any plot in a new scheme.
