PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday directed the relevant quarters to ensure the early payment of compensation to the victims of tragedies in mine and mineral projects.

He told a delegation of the Shangla district mine workers organisation here that owners of mine and mineral projects should be registered at the relevant forum for mitigating the sufferings of labourers in emergency.

An official statement issued here said the chief minister also ordered the removal of legal hurdles to the facilitation of labourers.

Mr Khattak said the government would go an extra mile for providing the maximum benefits to labourers and resolve their problems at the earliest.

He ordered the removal of weaknesses in the existing law and policies to find out a permanent solution to the problems of labourers.

The chief minister said the labour community should get their rights and if the need arose, then amendments to the law should be made.

He said the relevant quarters must identify the weaknesses and obstruction in the smooth facilitation of labour community.

Mr Khattak said it was an injustice to use the poor people for political gains.

“We all being the responsible members of this society should rise to the occasion and perform our responsibilities,” he said.

The chief minister said the government would spend Rs600 million in the next two years, while Rs30 million was being released in the current year for issuance of health cards to labours, grant of scholarships to their children, and construction of barracks.

He ordered the construction of dispensaries and hospitals near mines and said emergency equipment should be available in any emergency for the evacuation of victims.

Mr Khattak said labour colonies should be established, while the government would complete work on burns centre with the help of USAID at the cost of Rs1 billion.

Meanwhile, the chief minister ordered the transparent utilisation of resources allocated for different developmental schemes in Peshawar city.

He said corrupt elements would never change as they would continue committing corruption, misusing powers and doing everything within their reach using all illegal means.

Mr Khattak said corruption was a cancer and that the corrupt people had mentally ill.

He said he had learned a lot during the last five years as the corrupt people were exposed.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018