HYDERABAD, April 1: Activists of the Hyderabad Development Authority unit of the All Pakistan Clerks Association continued a token hunger strike outside the press club here on Friday in protest against non-payment of salary to employees of the Water and Sanitation Agency.

Activists of the Mehran Workers Union and other unions joined the hunger strike to express solidarity with the Wasa workers.

Speaking on the occasion, union leaders Khalid Noor, Mirza Arif Ali Baig and others said that Wasa had recovered water dues of Rs10.7 million till March 30 but it had failed to pay two-month salary to its employees.

They said that the employees were not ready to accept salary on instalment basis.

They appealed to the president, prime minister, Sindh governor, chief secretary and local government adviser and secretary to take notice of the inordinate delay in the payment of salary.

Meanwhile, the provincial president of the National Labour Federation, Rana Mehmood Ali Khan, has condemned the inordinate delay in the payment of salary to the Wasa workers.

In a statement, he said that the managing director of Wasa and the director-general of the HDA had created an artificial crisis by pursuing wrong planning.

He regretted that the families of the deceased employees were neither being paid their dues nor pensions.

He demanded payment of salaries and overtime to the employees and dues and pensions to the families of the deceased employees without any further delay.

He also demanded an inquiry into the alleged malpractice in the HDA.

HCCI: The Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at a meeting held here on Thursday, demanded special seats for traders and industrialists in district councils.

The appealed to the authorities to amend the Local Government Ordinance in this regard.