Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) MaqboolBaqar has ordered two separate inquiries against the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) and Labour Department for their failure to act against the non-compliants of Sindh Workers Welfare Fund and Sindh Workers Participation Fund and the failure, of DG Labour, to register Industrial Units respectively. If both the organizations- the SRB and the DG Labour, had taken timely action the recovery of Rs16.4 billion for workers fund could have been ensured.
This he said while presiding over a joint meeting of SRB, SESSI and Workers Welfare Board attended by Minister Law Omar Soomro, Advocate General Hassan Akbar, PSCM Hassan Naqvi, Secretary LabourShariq Ahmad, Chairman SRB WasifMemon, Secretary Law Ali Ahmad Baloch, Commissioner SESSI SaleemKhuhro, Secretary Workers Welfare Board and others. Chairman SRB WasifMemon told the CM that the missing amount of the fund payers- Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) and Workers Participation Fund (WPF)- have been updated in the ledger of the Nazir of the Sindh High Court and now the Nazir ledger reflects that there were 39 cases who have deposited Rs19.29 billion against which Rs 6.75 billion and now the total amount has come to 26.03 billion.
The CM said that the 78 non-compliant litigant fund payers have been issued 19 show-cause notices by raising demand of Rs 35.97 billion in which the Sindh component would come to Rs 7 billion. He said that there were 54 industrial units that owed Rs 3.106 billion. At this, the CM questioned that no action had been taken against them. The SRB team said that they have now issued them show-cause notices. The CM expressing his displeasure ordered a high-level inquiry against SRB to unearth the motives behind the lethargy. These are the funds meant for workers but due to vested interest the industrial units are given favour at the cost of the welfare of the workers which is not acceptable at any cost, the CM said.
The CM said that there were 127 defaulting units that owed Rs13.4 billion in the head of workers welfare and participation funds. To a question, he said that these 127 units were unregistered, adding he expressed his displeasure and said that what the Director General of Labour was doing.The DG Labour is responsible for registering the industrial units but even then, they fail to do so, he said and ordered the Secretary Labour and Secretary Finance to conduct an inquiry and fix the responsibility against the delinquent officers. He said that in the Labour Square, Gulshan-e-Maymar there were 1000 flats.
He directed the Workers Welfare Board to renovate them and allot those flats that were vacant. In compliance with the CM orders out of 32 Blocks comprising 1000 flats, 15 Blocks of 480 flats have been rehabilitated and are ready to occupy. The remaining 17 Blocks of 520 flats would be rehabilitated by November 2023.
Baqar directed the Workers Welfare Board to ensure the functioning of the Primary school, community centre, dispensary, shops, mosques, and industrial homes. He said he would personally visit the flats meet with the residents and assess the quality of the renovation works. The CM said the Workers Welfare Board had paid an Rs 7.5 million electricity bill of the labour square but even then the electricity has not been restored.
The CM during the meeting talked to the CEO KE and directed him to get the electricity restored by the evening. He said that 128 Flats in Hyderabad and 100 Houses at ShaheedBenazirabad were under illegal occupation, in this regard, the CM issued necessary instructions for the removal of the encroachment. The district administration and the police have made necessary arrangements to evacuate these Flats/Houses Workers Welfare Board Sindh.
