QUETTA: Balochistan's about 60000 coal miners, having denied their due rights since long, have announced to launch a country wide drive to press for a better and well paid working status enshrined by the constitution of the country.
The coal miners representative organization National Labour Federation's (NLF) centeral leader Shamsur Rehman Swati on Friday elaborating the campaign said the federation will launch its movement on March,7 by registering a protest against those responsible for Dukki coalmine and Baldia Town incidents.
The campaign, he said will be followed by a Labour Convention scheduled to be held in Lahore on March 10 in a demand to press for sufficient safety and security measures at work place for the coal miners.
Shamsi said seven coal miners had died inside a mine in Duki area of Balochistan couple of days back due to insufficient safety measures and concerned quarter's cold bloodedness.
PML-N Member of National Assembly Dr. Ibadullah admitting the miner's poor condition said unfortunately the dead belonged to his constituency and were not provided with basic fundamental rights for ever life threatening job. 2 "After passage of 60 hours, the dead bodies of coal miners in Duki could not be retrieved by the rescue teams," he lamented while holding provincial Mine and Labour Department equally responsible for precious loss of lives.
Ibadullah said for the first time, the government of Balochistan compensated the Duki mine victims announcing Rs. 0.8 million admitting enough was required to be done yet.
Hundreds of coalm iners have died in about 150 explosions inside mines caused by the accumulation of Methane gas during last ten years, a Mines and Minerals department official said.
Fazal Huda, hailing from Shangla district of KPK and coal miner in Duki said that "coalminers every day die at the hands of tyrant masters and gas leakage had caused explosion killing 8 miners of Akbar Company in Duki in previous year but after hue and cry of few days complete silence was observed".
Ambar Khan another labourer deplored that they had tried to establish a body to raise their voice for rights but were hapless against strong mafia and mine owners.
President Balochistan Geoscientist Association, Abdul Razaq Khilji deploring the situation said,"The Mines and Mineral Department has failed to convince the mine owners, responsible, to establish a systematic gas particularly methane detector and proper ventilation system".
The 2011 was the deadliest year for the miners wherein more than 100 mine workers lost their lives in explosions in 30 separate mines due to lack of safety measures.
Abdul Rasheed Abro, Mines Inspector said that mine owners and contractors are regularly prosecuted, but penalty of only Rs. 40000 and six months imprisonment for violation could not bring respite to the deaths caused by dearth of safety measures.
"It is the responsibility of the lawmakers to amend the Mine Act 1923 introducing rigorous punishment and prolong imprisonment so that lives of other collies could be secured," he suggested.
NLF president alleged that there was no legislation for as many as 75 percent labourers as a result their rights are exploited.
Dr. Ibadullah was convinced that he would bring a resolution in National Assembly highlighting the problems of the coal miners and amendment of labour laws.
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