More than 70 miners have lost their lives in 55 accidents in different coal mines in Balochistan, this year, HRCP report said.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), coal mining is carried out in different areas of Balochistan, such as Mach, Harnai, Dukki, and Chamalang. During the last year, 87 miners lost their lives and 43 were injured in 65 accidents, while 430 miners have died in Balochistan’s coal mines in the last five years, the report reads.
The HRCP report on the accidents has recommended that the number of trained government safety inspectors should be increased and their inspection visits should be increased so that safety standards can be followed and mine accidents can be reduced.
According to the HRCP reports, more than 430 miners have died in Balochistan’s coal mines in the last five years. Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Balochistan Labor Federation leaders said that the workers running Balochistan’s coal mines industry, which gives billions of rupees of revenue annually, are deprived of all basic facilities and are losing their lives due to the negligence and stubbornness of the mines department of Balochistan.
The labor leaders said the non-implementation of Balochistan’s labor laws and negligence of the labor department officials is further adding to the already deteriorating situation in Balochistan’s coal mines and other industrial establishments. Because after every mine accident, only the mines department is asked verbally to follow the law. To date, no action has been taken against them in accordance with labor laws, Labor activists said.
The labor union leaders said that cases should be registered against the mine owners and those responsible for the mines department by thoroughly investigating the coal mine accidents in the last ten years — including the recent coal mine accident in Harnai. The mines department officials should be directed to take immediate steps to implement the Mines Safety Act and labor laws, they demanded.