Sindh House Islamabad workers to be regularised, Mukesh Kumar Chawla assures PA

The Provincial Assembly of Sindh has been assured that the issue of payment and employment of daily wage earners associated with the Sindh House in Islamabad will be resolved soon.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla made this assurance on Monday while responding to a calling-attention notice of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Jamaluddin Siddiqi. Chawla said that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party believes in providing job opportunities to the people. Siddiqi informed the PA that daily wage earners associated with the Sindh House, run by the provincial government, have not been paid for the past several months.

He said one of them recently passed away as he was experiencing a lot of mental stress. Moreover, he added, the pay of the daily wage workers of the Sindh House is quite insufficient. Chawla assured the PA that the daily wage earners will be regularised. Speaking on a separate privilege motion of PTI legislator Arsalan Taj, PA Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani said the provincial legislature should get control of the Sindh House. He also said that good food service must remain available there.

PTI lawmaker Firdous Shamim Naqvi, who recently resigned as the PA opposition leader, said lawmakers of the provincial legislature should be given preference for providing lodging facilities at the Sindh House. The privilege motion of the PTI legislator was on the issue that the members of the PA were not being provided with lodging facilities at the Sindh House.

Congo fever

Lawmakers were informed that the virus that causes the deadly infectious disease of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is basically prevalent in the cold parts of Balochistan. Responding to the queries of legislators during the question hour, Livestock Minister Abdul Bari Pitafi said that the Congo virus reaches Sindh from other areas of the country. He said butchers and the people associated with livestock rearing are responsible for the spread of the viral fever.

He said the Balochistan and Punjab governments have been told that animals being sent to Sindh from their areas should accompany health certificates, otherwise animals from outside the province will not be accepted. He informed the PA that livestock account for 11 per cent of Pakistan’s GDP.

PSL traffic plan

Lawmakers expressed serious reservations over the plan to regulate vehicular traffic in Karachi during the PSL matches at the National Stadium. PTI legislator Khurrum Sher Zaman said the plan implemented during PSL matches causes much inconvenience to the public. Chawla said the PSL traffic plan had been provided by the Pakistan Cricket Board. However, he added, the provincial government will suggest that the plan be reviewed. PTI lawmakers said that matches of the next edition of the PSL will be played in Karachi. They fear that the people will have to face traffic congestion because of them.