SHANGLA: Technicians of Expanded Programme on Immunisation and class-IV employees of various hospitals here have not been paid salaries for last one year, increasing their financial woes.

Talking to reporters at Bisham on Tuesday, they said that they had not been paid a single penny by the health department since their recruitment a year ago.

“We have met with the authorities concerned, urging them to pay us salaries, but to no avail,” Mohammad Zada, an EPI technician, regretted.

He said 36 EPI technicians and 18 class-IV employees had not been paid salary, which had plunged them into financial crisis.

Azizur Rehman said they were appointed as EPI technicians on Nov 17, 2016 but they had been performing duty without payment of salary since then.

The EPI technicians and class-IV employees warned of taking to the streets if they were not paid salaries by next Friday.

When contacted, Dr Wajid Ali, EPI district coordinator, told this scribe that salaries of the EPI technicians and class-IV workers would be paid soon.

He said the salaries were stuck in the district account office, adding that on his request the account office had assured of paying the pending salaries in next few days.

MUQAM INSPECTS PROJECTS: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial president Engr Amir Muqam inspected progress on several development projects in Shangla during the last two days.

The adviser to prime minister visited all tehsils of the district during the period and reviewed progress on projects of road, suspension bridges and grid stations.

On the occasion, Mr Muqam directed the contractors to ensure quality material in the projects and their timely completion.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2017