LAHORE: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union has welcomed the initiative of the Supreme Court to arrange resources for the building of two major dams in the country.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the central executive committee of the union at a meeting at Labour Hall here on Wednesday asserted that construction of dams was inevitable.

It also expressed dismay over successive governments’ failure to start work on any dam due to which the country was losing billions of rupees every year.

Presided over by union Secretary General Khurshid Ahmad, the committee expressed through another resolution concern over the rising number of workplace accidents resulting in deaths of more than 100 field staff this year.

The number of victims suffering from permanent disabilities every year was much more, it said, urging the government to ensure provision of safety equipment at workplace.

“Unsafe working conditions result in massive human and material loss, while a safe and healthy workplace can increase productivity,” said the resolution, advising the field staff not to work without ensuring safety, especially during the rainy season.

It also demanded the government ensure provision of safe working conditions to the overworked line staff to prevent such accidents in future by arranging professional training for them and providing them with modern safety equipment.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2018