HYDERABAD: Coalminers facing starvation

Published August 11, 2003

HYDERABAD, Aug 10: Sixty-five per cent mines have caved in and thousands of labourers were rendered jobless by the recent rains and subsequent flooding at the Lakhra coalfield in Dadu district.

This was stated by Qamoos Gul Khattak, secretary-general of the Muttahida Labour Federation, here on Saturday.

Mr Khattak expressed concern over losses and regretted the attitude of the Sindh government, which had not cared to assess damages to provide any relief to victims.

He said 80 per cent houses of miners had collapsed and their household items and means of subsistence destroyed.

Qamoos Gul reminded the government that tens of millions of rupees had to be spent on just one coalmine and added that the entire structure of the Lakhra coalfield had been destroyed.

He appealed to the government and labour welfare organisations to compensate the coalmine owners and workers.

Mr Khattak said 2,500 miners had been rendered jobless due to the destruction of the coalfield.