SAHIWAL: A labourer was buried alive in a 15-foot deep trench dug out to lay a new sewerage line on Railway Road.

The project is being carried out by a Chinese contractor under the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program funded by the Asian Development Bank.

An eyewitness said three labourers were working on the sewerage line when mud from both sides of the trench fell upon them. He said two of the labourers escaped while another was trapped and buried alive.

A source told Dawn that the contractor did not ensure safety measures for labourers. A rescue team found the dead body of the labourer and sent it to hospital. The labourer was identified as Tahir Abbas, 25, a resident of Garha Morr, Jhang. The deceased was a father of four children.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Khizer Afzal rushed to the scene and directed the contractor to ensure safety measures. The incident put a question mark over the safety standards meant for labourers who are working on a contract basis on multi-billion dollar projects to improve the civic conditions of the city.

Engineer Hamza Chohan, a local coordinator, told Dawn that they had sent the case to the head office in Lahore and hoped the family of the deceased would get financial compensation. He admitted that the company did not provide any safety measures to the labourers working on mega development projects.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2022