February 28, 2008	Thursday	Safar 20 ,1429

DADU, Feb 27: Both the people as well as activists of political parties staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Wednesday to protest against the administration of the Zamzama gas field, BHP Billiton Company, for not providing jobs to local people and not utilising development funds properly.

They also raised slogans against the administration of the Citizens Foundation School for charging heavy fees from students, which too is being run with the collaboration of the BHP Billiton Company.

The protest was organised by the Villagers Action Committee, Chhandan Mori of taluka Johi. It was led by Mohammad Jaffar Lund, district president of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Ghulam Hussain Lund, Sindh United Party leader Haji Ghulam Qadir Leghari, farmer Khamiso Khan Panhwar, and general secretary Citizens Action Committee Qaim Ali Siyal.

Speaking to the protesters, Jaffar Lund said that the BHP Billiton Company had constructed a building for a school but it was not providing free education to the poor of the area when it was supposed to according to an agreement.

He said students were not able to pay for their tuitions, uniforms and textbooks to the school, which was being run by the Citizens Foundation.

He said that the BHP Billiton Company was running 13 primary schools in the area through NGOs but the standard of education at these schools was poor.

Ghulam Hussain Lund said that BHP Billiton Company officials were neglecting local people for both skilled and unskilled jobs in the company as they had employed a majority of people belonging to Punjab, Balochistan and the NWFP.

Mr Leghari said that the local people had contacted officials of the company regarding jobs but in vain.

Farmer Panhwar said that the Zamzama gas field administration was not paying him compensation for his land ever since 1998 when the gas field had been established.

Noor Ahmed Panhwar said that the company had promised the local people that all the villages of Taluka Johi would be provided gas free of cost but so far had not been provided any.

They appealed to the president of the company to take notice and resolve their problems. Later, they observed token hunger strike outside the press club.

Spokesperson of the BHP Billiton Company, Ms Humera Malik claimed that the company was spending $250,000 plus one per cent income on the welfare of the local community.

She said that the company had constructed the school building and handed it over to the Citizens Foundation which was operating it according to its own policy.