Hundreds of workers of defunct Karachi Development Authority (KDA) on Thursday recorded their strong protest against non-payment of salaries and restoration of the previous independent status of the authority. The KDA workers staged a protest demonstration outside Civic Centre and threatened to commit self-immolation if their demands were not met.
Initially the workers protested within the premises of the Civic Centre chanting slogans against the management for non-payment of their salaries and authorising the KMC to control the administrative affairs of KDA. Later, the protesters headed towards the main University Road and blocked it for half-an-hour, causing huge traffic jam.
Secretary General of the KDA workers union Ashfaque Chishti told Business Recorder that they were completely against shifting of the KDA control to KMC and wanted revival of its old status. He lamented that employees had not been paid salaries for the last two months, plunging them into dire financial constraints. Besides, former employees of the authority were not paid pensions for five months.
Chishti said that a letter would also be sent to Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro, urging him to take up the matter with relevant provincial government officials. He said tat the KDA workers would soon stage a protest demonstration at Karachi Press Club to voice their grievances and legal demands.