KARACHI: Prevailing unrest adds to public miseries
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 14: People working on daily-wage basis in various private and public sector organisations are the worst sufferers in the wake of prevailing unrest in the city after Tuesday’s blast at Nishtar Park.
Similarly, a large number of people who work at shops on daily wages were unable to earn their livelihoods as all markets have been closed since Wednesday owing to protests and strikes being observed in the metropolis.
Besides, hawkers and vendors selling different merchandise in various markets of the city could not earn their livelihood during the last three days.
A number of private and public sector corporations which even includes NRL and PIA have hired the services of a large number people in different cadres on daily wages basis and as such whenever they are unable to go to their offices for one reason or another, they are deprived of their wages.
“No one realises that how can we meet the daily expenses of our homes when we are unable to go to our offices in the absence of public transport,” remarked a young man working on daily wages in the National Oil Refinery.
Expressing concern over the prevailing situation in the city, a salesman working at a shop of Tariq Road said that he was the only earning member of his family and since the shop where he worked remained closed during the last three days he was deprived of wages. “Believe me, my family comprising six members is forced to skip one time meal daily merely to overcome the financial constraints nowadays,” he said.
Disgusted with the uneasy situation prevailing for the last three days, a taxi driver said that he and a number of other drivers who had bought taxis and rickshaws on instalment basis were required to pay between Rs100 and Rs150 daily to the taxi owner but they were unable to do so owing to closure of petrol pumps.
Asked why they (taxi and rickshaw drivers) are taking undue advantage of the situation by charging exorbitant fares, a taxi driver said that they might be doing so as they were getting fuel at higher prices nowadays. He claimed that he had to pay Rs100 for one litre petrol, which he managed to get from a petrol pump on Thursday although police constables were present there.
