MIANWALI: Sanitary workers of all state-run hospitals in the district have been on strike due to non-payment of their salaries for the last five months.

The sanitation situation in all hospitals paints a grim picture, with heaps of garbage piling up in every corner, becoming a daily occurrence.

More than a dozen male and female sanitary workers of Isakehl THQ Hospital sit in front of the hospital every day. Surprisingly, none of the higher-ups from the health department or the Punjab government have bothered to address the grievances of these workers, who say that their families are struggling to make ends meet. Health CEO Dr Rafiqe Khan expressed concern over the situation. He said that the government has outsourced the sanitation services of all hospitals in Punjab.

In Mianwali district, a Lahore-based firm, M/S Babar & Omer Company, holds the contract for sanitation services in all hospitals. However, the company has failed to pay salaries to the sanitary staff for the last five months. Workers at DHQ Hospital and THQ hospitals in Isakhel, Kalabagh and Piplan are on strike, with the male and female staff of THQ Isakhel setting up a hunger strike camp in front of the hospital.

Dr Khan said that he has informed the higher authorities about the situation and has repeatedly contacted the contractor but has received no response.

GANG BUSTED: The Mianwali police have busted a three-member inter-district motorcycle theft gang and recovered 25 motorcycles.

District Police Officer Akhter Farooq told a press conference at the police lines on Monday that reports of motorcycle thefts had increased at an alarming rate in various police stations across the district.

To arrest the culprits, special teams were formed under the leadership of DSP Organised Crime Nasir Mahmood and Faisal Mahmood, Inspector In-charge of the CIA staff.

These teams arrested a three-member gang involved in motorcycle thefts in Mianwali and other districts. The gang, led by Altaf alias Bilo, along with two others, confessed to the thefts reported in various police stations across the district. The DPO handed over the recovered motorcycles to their rightful owners.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025