HYDERABAD: The Thar District Council Wednesday passed a resolution against the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) for allegedly ignoring local job-seekers in employment opportunities.
Chairman District Council Tharparkar, Dr Ghulam Hyder Samejo warned that according to their internal sources they have shared facts and figures about the number of people which are truly connected with the company, each and every individual is well aware about this project and even acknowledged about the process of devaluing to Thari people, if district council members are against them than company have to mobilize with fair manners.
Dr Samejo added that “According to my personal understanding and sources Thari people are just working with them on the daily based charge, somewhere they are allocated on contract for bit of period, so we can differentiate between the reflection of employee and hired man”.
While talking to Daily Times, Vice Chairman District Council Tharparkar Kanwar Karni Singh said that, it is not a big issue that company is rejecting the claims made by district council Tharparkar through by passing the resolution against Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) for allegedly discriminating local people in the employment opportunities but let them ask from company that what are the reason behind the allegations of common people and local residents, if for instance they accept that people which are hailing from Tharparkar are not much and more sufficient for higher ranks and positions than might be the can get chance for other priorities.
He added that, “If company is declaring that more than 75 percent employees are from Tharparkar than would like to request from company stakeholders that by sharing the accurate number only is not satisfaction, District council is indicating them and they have a right to know so it will be more better that company should have to share the documents of all Thari employees including their national identity cards.”
Singh said that natives are not getting proper fair from the so called development, it is very controversial situation that company is denying the local people even they deserve to know somehow about the value and worth of their socio-economic development in their region, the existence of confusion should be solved from the company, in this way anyone can announce that he or she is hailing from Tharparkar but it needed to prove it by taking action.
Senator Taj Hyder has said that, “local people mean all settled, by focusing only Hindus in such development sectors, in this way we by self are degrading other communities”.
He added that, district council representatives and members should have to treat with the people equally, number of people belonging to Hindu communities are working with them, if such allegations are existing at that time than not only by indicating particular sets of people, even company holders are providing them golden opportunity to polish their skills by training but just for awhile think about the destroyed situation of RO plants in Thar and their machines burnt because of lack concentration.
Kapil Dev, Human Rights Activist, said that local Thari were not given preference or priority in decision-making policy-formulation forums within SECMC.
He added that most of employees hired by the coal company are labourers who are contractul employees with no social guarantees.
“There is need to hire Tharis in HR and other policy and decision making forums and at officer or managerial slots so that more inclusiveness is reflected in the decision which company makes for local people”. He said.
Syed Khadim Ali Shah, local villager from Bhawi Jo Tar, said that in the project of Engro Coal Company there are 151 employees are working in management cadre and in which there are only 15 Thari are doing such practices, still couple of local Thari are in the wait for their confirmation in the cadre of administration, exclude these local people from different regions people are confirmed and working too.
He added that, local residents from the region of Tharparkar which are working with this company as a labor are even neglecting by them in fair payment also.
When contacted, spokesperson of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), Mohsin Babbar rejected the claims made by the district assembly of Tharparkar through a resolution passed the other day.
He said, “We respect the point of view of the elected representatives of the district assembly of Tharparkar but the house should have done the homework right before claiming the number of jobs provided to the locals.”
“No project in Pakistan’s private sector maintains such a great ratio of employees hired in the management and non-management cadre from the local area by Sindh Engro projects in Thar, which is far greater than assigned in the contact with the Government of Sindh,” he said.
The spokesperson said, “Out of 2433 employees hired in last 20 months for the projects related to Thar Coal Block II, 75 percent belongs to the district of Tharparkar, 19 percent belongs to other districts of Sindh and 6 percent belongs to other provinces of Pakistan.”
He added that all the appointments, confirmations, and promotions in the management and non-management cadre are being made purely on meritorious grounds and strictly on the performance basis.
He further pointed out that non-availability of trained human resource was not considered a barrier and special training programs were launched to capacitate and recruit the local people.
Published in Daily Times, December 28th 2017.
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