MUZAFFARGARH, Jan 19: A multinational construction company is allegedly adding insult to injury by denying compensation to an employee who lost his one eye while performing some task.

The authorities, in his words, are now harassing him as he has moved court for seeking compensation pledged by the company.

It was on June 30, 2007, that Allah Ditta, a graduate, lost his one eye when some chemical fell in his eyes. He also lost 50 per cent of the sight of the other eye and the company promised to pay him Rs40,000 as compensation, but it delayed the payment on one pretext or the other.

Allah Ditta joined the EKL Construction as fitter two years ago at the Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation project. He said he would work in flowing water of the Indus and fix the gates of barrage without using any safety belts, goggles, gloves or any other protective gear.

On June 30 last, he said he was working at the gate No 27 when a chemical by the name of Hilti fell in his eyes because chemical guns were defective. The chemical soon caused pain in his eyes and company admin officer Tariq Niazi took him to a local doctor and later to an eye specialist in Kot Addu. Two days later, he lost his eyesight of one eye.

Being a graduate and the only bread winner of the family, he said despite loss of an eye he didn’t leave the job as he had to feed his poor parents. The company asked him to quit the job with the promise that he would be regularly paid salary besides compensation. Later, his parents brought him to an Islamabad hospital where he was treated.

He also visited eye specialists in Multan and Muzaffargarh, but he could not get back his eyesight. Meanwhile, his other eye also swelled and now he has blurred vision.

Allah Ditta said he filed a case in the Muzaffargarh Labour Court and now the company officials were harassing him and threatening him that they would nominate him in murder cases if he pursued the case.

Speaking to Dawn, he said company official Tariq Niazi got signed some papers and informed him that he would be given Rs40,000 as compensation. Even that much amount was not given to him so far, he said.

He said the company did not give any goggles or other safety gadgets to the labourers.

The victim said he would knock at the door of NGOs if justice was denied to him, appealing to donors to help him get his eyes treated. The EKL admin officer told Dawn that the company would give him Rs40,000 because its rules allowed this much compensation for the loss of an eye. In case of death, he said, the company offered Rs100,000.

The court will take up the case on Monday (tomorrow).