Road blocked to demand reinstatement of workers

MANSEHRA: The labourers working on the 880 megawatts Suki Kinari Hydropower project on Saturday blocked Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to traffic to demand reinstatement of the sacked workers.

“The dam’s management had signed an agreement with us to reinstate all 2000 workers who were sacked during the coronavirus early this year, but it deviated from its commitment once again,” Tahir Hussain Shah, the president of labourers association, told reporters during the protest.

Holding the banners and placards, the labourers came onto the road in Paras area and blocked it to all sort of traffic. The protesters, who were raising slogans in support of their demands, threatened to suspend the work if the 2000 labourers, who were terminated from their services because of the coronavirus early this year, were not reinstated. “According to an agreement, which was signed in presence of assistant commissioner Balakot earlier this year, all sacked labourers would be deputed on work on September 1,” said Shah. He said that the company concerned had pasted names of around 2000 labourers on its boards asking them to rejoin the duty earlier this week but it was removed subsequently.