Senate body to review issues of mines' workers, owners

The members of Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum are visiting Balochistan to discuss with the provincial government the measures adopted for safety and security of mine workers and facilities provided to them by mine owners to avoid occurrence of accidents in coal mines in the province, the procedure and amount of compensation being given to the mine workers in case of death or injury during the work and also to review the grievances of mine owners associations and mine labor associations.

The committee expressed strong dissatisfaction over the unsatisfactory responses given by the relevant officers to the questions raised on registration of Afghan nationals, number of mine workers, safety measures adopted, and mode of inquiries against the contractors who violate the terms among other issues.

The law governing mining was made in 1923 and the country is still managing the affairs with an almost 100-year old law. The problems in death grants, compensation, low wages and old methods of mining were also discussed.

In the last meeting, the committee heard the government officials and representatives of owners and laborers. The three sides presented contradictory information. It was seen that many of the problems stem from the law being incompatible with today's needs.