GUJRANWALA, March 15: A Wasa contractor, who was held responsible by a judicial inquiry for the death of a youth after he fell into a dug up manhole, paid diyat to heirs of the deceased on court’s order here on Wednesday.

Reports said that Azeem had lost his life when he along with his bicycle fell into the manhole along with his bicycle last year in front of Model Town police station. Contractor Muhammad Awais had not provided anything around the place for the guidance of passersby. Police had recovered the body from the manhole with the help of people.

Lawyer Sheikh Eizad Masood had a case registered against the Wasa contractor on the orders of Lahore High Court. Later, an inquiry team held the contractor responsible for the tragedy.

Additional sessions judge Muhammad Sohail Akram directed the contractor to pay diyat to heirs of the deceased when the prosecution proved charges against him. At this, the contractor immediately paid the diyat money to deceased’s mother in court.

CONCERN: The bricks kiln labour welfare organisation has expressed concern over detaining labourers at various places for forced labour by brick owners.

At a meeting held here on Wednesday presided over by organisation’s chairman Mushtaq Masih Matto, speakers called upon high ups of federal and provincial governments to take solid steps for increase in their wages.

They claimed that bricks were being supplied as usually for residential and commercial purposes while an announcement of suspending bricks supply by kiln owners was only a drama to press the government for getting coal on cheaper rates.

Kiln owners, they said, were earning huge profits but labourers were being paid low wages. In fact, they said that owners had fixed their low wages in connivance with the labour department.

They alleged that some kiln owners held hostage the women and children in Kot Ladha and Rahwali and refused to release them. They demanded raise in wages of labourers and immediate recovery of the detained women and children.