October 26, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 13, 1428

FAISALABAD, Oct 25: Four people were killed and 50 others injured when an overloaded bus overturned in Chak Jhumra on Thursday.

The bus, carrying nearly 150 passengers, was on its way from a nearby village to Chak Jhumra when it overturned near a railway station. The accident took place when the driver tried to save a car. Resultantly, four people — Mazhar, Samiur Rahman, Fazle Haq and Ahmad Raza — died at the scene, while at least 50 others were injured.

Pay upgraded: The Punjab government has revised pay scales of food department officials and issued a notification to this effect, it is learnt here.

Food department employees, including supervisors, inspectors and assistant food controllers, have been struggling for years to get their pay scales upgraded. A series of meetings had also been held between the government and Punjab Field Staff Association, a representative body of food department employees, for the purpose.

A source told Dawn on Thursday that two months ago, the association had threatened to launch a protest campaign against the government for not fulfilling their genuine demands.

He said: “Now the chief minister has issued a notification for upgradation of employees.”

Association chairman Rana Sajjad Ahmed told this correspondent that at least 900 employees would benefit from the decision. He said food supervisors working in scale-6 were awarded scale-9, inspectors from seven to 12 and assistant food controller from scale-11 to 15.

He said the decision would improve the performance of the department.