FAISALABAD, July 11: All uninhabited labour colonies in the Punjab will be rehabilitated under a systematic programme to provide standard living facilities to industrial workers.

This was stated here on Thursday by Punjab Labour Secretary Maj Iqbal Ahmed Raja (retired) during a meeting with local industrialists, labour leaders and office bearers of Khurrianwala Industrial Estate Association (KIEA).

He said the rehabilitation work of two existing labour colonies, Muhammad Bin Qasim and Tipu Sultan, would be completed on priority basis. This would help provide modern housing facilities to over 6,000 workers, he said.

A scrutiny committee with representatives of the Labour department, industrial workers and industrialists would carry out the rehabilitation work in a systematic and transparent manner. An advertisement, he said, would soon appear in newspapers asking allottees of two colonies to appear before the scrutiny committee within 10 days of appearance of advertisement along with their allotment orders and other supporting documents.

The committee would ascertain the genuineness of allottees and would determine the scope and nature of violation of the terms and conditions, he said. The committee would then submit its finding to the department which would in turn evolve a mechanism to allot the remaining available plots and ensuring construction of houses by the allottees within certain stipulated period.

Khurram Iftikhar of the KIEA said that industrialists of Khurrianwala were working actively on a scheme under which they would offer house building loans payable in easy instalments to workers of their respective units.

He hoped details of the plan would be worked out soon and the KIEA would practically demonstrate of having an ideal industrial-worker relationship in Khurrianwala.

Appreciating the gesture, the Labour secretary said it would not only motivate the industrialists of other areas but would also help in the quick colonization of labour colonies.

Giving details of housing facilities, he said the allotment of 504 multi-storey flats in Sialkot was in progress and over 51 per cent of them had already been booked.

As many as 209 multi-storey flats in Gujrat were being offered to industrial workers at a meagre monthly rent of Rs150 per month and 471 single storey houses in Sheikhupura would also be offered at nominal rent, he said.

The secretary said all modern facilities such as roads, parks, water supply, electricity, sewerage, primary school, dispensary and mosque were provided in labour colonies. He said quality English medium education was being provided to the children of workers through a number of labour welfare schools. Students were getting free education, books, stationery, uniform, bags, transport and other facilities in these schools.

Mr Iqbal said that a new labour welfare school was in final stages of completion in saltmine area Chakwal while new schools were being established in DG Khan, Layyah and Rajanpur.

Besides, he said, modern healthcare facilities were being provided to industrial workers and their families through social security hospitals.

The social security hospital in Madina Town, Faisalabad, was expected to be commissioned in August this year, he added.

PPP LEADER: Punjab PPP secretary-general Aftab Ahmad Khan has accused the government of employing negative tactics to sabotage the ARD public meeting scheduled to be held at the Iqbal Park on July 14.