MANSEHRA: Hundreds of labourers working with various projects being executed under the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project have not been paid their wages for the last six months.

“The labourers working at plant nurseries in Konsh and Siren valleys and other parts of the district are without wages for the last six months and despite taking up this issue at the appropriate forum it couldn’t be settled as yet,” Taj Mohammad Shah told mediapersons in Battal here on Sunday.

Leading a group of affected labourers, Mr Shah said they had been facing problems because of long delay in release of their wages.

He said that shopkeepers were demanding previous dues and refusing to give them essential commodities now.

He said that in some cases those who inducted the labourers on their guarantees in the afforestation programme were also facing the brunt of it as labourers were coming to their homes demanding their wages.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2020