GWADAR: A Balochistan minister has said that land mafia in connivance with black sheep in government departments has got allocated in its name state land along the coast in Gwadar.

Addressing a ceremony on Saturday, Health Minister Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch said the mafia had not even spared plots reserved for graveyards in Gwadar and other districts of Makran division.

The ceremony was held to distribute among lady health workers papers about regularisation of their services.

The minister said massive corruption had been committed in illegal allotment of plots to land-grabbers, adding that some political personalities were among beneficiaries.

He said the government had regularised the services of about 7,000 lady health workers who had been making such demand for the past several years.

The government would continue its mission to improve conditions in government hospitals to provide better healthcare facilities to people, he said.

Corruption and negligence would not be tolerated in the health department, he said and added that strict action would be taken against doctors and paramedical staff if they were found absent from duty.

He said improving the performance of health and education sectors was one of the priorities of the present government.

Mr Baloch said that polio eradication campaign had been run effectively in the province and claimed that 98 per cent of Balochistan was now free of the crippling disease.

He said law and order situation had deteriorated in Makran division after posts of officials and personnel of police and Levies Force had been “sold” by the previous government.

“Some political leaders, who are criticising the people-friendly policies of the National Party-led government in talk shows, indulged in misappropriation of government funds during the previous government,” he alleged.

He said that some black sheep were hatching conspiracies against the National Party.

Published in Dawn, September 28th , 2014