PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Peoples Party has demanded of the government to announce policy for safety of mineworkers and increase the compensation amount for the people who lost lives and sustained serious injuries in a marble mine collapse in Mohmand tribal district a few days ago.

Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, PPP provincial president Humayun Khan said the victims had poor family backgrounds and no other source of income. He said the government had issued compensation cheques to the families but the amount was insufficient to meet their needs.

The PPP leader demanded that the government provide reasonable compensation amount to the victims’ families. He said mineworkers across the country were extremely vulnerable to risks due to vague government policy, saying that all the dangerous mines should be closed to avoid such mishaps in future.

Expressing his sympathies with the members of the bereaved families, Mr Humayun said the government had no clear policy to compensate the families despite the fact that every year hundreds of mineworkers lost lives in different provinces.

He also referred to the sufferings of coal miners in Balochistan and said the government should announce a comprehensive policy to ensure safety of workers and announce compensation to the families of the victims.

Humayun Khan said the local people had complained of lack of attention on part of the relevant departments to carry out the operation for recovery of the people from rubble in Mohmand mine collapse. “It was duty of the government to ensure presence of heavy machinery for rescue operations in case of any untoward incident at different sites,” he said.

He warned that in case the government did not devise an all-inclusive policy for support of the needy people the PPP would raise voice for their rights.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2020