KARAK: Labour union leaders have demanded payment of compensation to the heirs of those labourers who had lost their lives in the salt and gypsum mines of Karak.

They threatened to launch a protest movement if their demands were not accepted.

The labour leaders, including its district president Naveed Khattak and general secretary Taj Mohammad, were addressing the labourers at Lakhani here on Tuesday where the miners observed a brief strike against delay in acceptance of their demands.

They urged the government to implement the relevant laws to ensure welfare of the mine workers.

They said that a labourer of salt mines, Gul Daraz Khan, was killed and his colleague Mir Afzal seriously injured when the salt mine caved in sometime back at Lakhani area, but so far no compensatory payment had been made to the victims.

They claimed that similar incidents had also occurred in Bahaderkhel and Narri Panos areas and the compensation amount had not been paid to the affected people.

They complained that no safety equipment was provided to the labourer by the mine leaseholders.

They demanded that action should be taken against the leaseholders not providing safety equipment to the workers.

They said that the families of the victims should be compensated without any delay.

WATER SCARCITY: The residents of Takki Mithakhel and adjacent localities said on Tuesday that they had been facing acute water shortage and demanded of the district government to make operational the two water supply schemes already completed in the area.

In this regard, the people held a protest meeting, which was chaired by Islahi Jirga president Sardar Khan.

It was informed that two water supply schemes had been completed for the residents of the area with at a cost of Rs20 million four years ago.

They urged the district government to make the schemes operational as soon as possible.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2015

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