KARACHI – Karachi Metropolitan Corporation employees union on Saturday demanded immediate release of their salaries pending for the last one month and other outstanding dues.
They warned to launch a protest campaign if their salaries were not paid within two days till December 10. President of the union, Zulfiqar Shah in his statement said a number of pensioners and lower class workers were suffering due to nonpayment of theirs outstanding salaries and pension. The KMC management while giving excuse of nonpayment of Rs500 million special grant and Rs600 million property tax from the provincial government has not paid salaries to the employees, KMC employees’ union leader said. “Despite the KMC had already received Rs326 million on account of Octroi Divisional Tax, but is still depriving the employees of their outstanding salaries and dues,” he added.
Even, the fire fighters have not received the Fire Risk Allowance for the last three months, besides machinery pool, fumigation and malaria section employees were still deprived of their outstanding dues. Shah alleged that the Finance Department of the KMC is not implementing the orders of the KMC Administrator and chief officer. He reminded that the chief officer in a recent meeting had assured them that the salaries of one to 10-grade employees would be released immediately.
On contrary to the assurances of the chief officer, the finance department is defying the orders of the high-ups until the special grant not received from the provincial government.
BOOK FAIR: Dozens of public and private schools have rushed to the 8th Karachi International Book Fair 2012, being held at Karachi Expo Centre from December 6 to 10. Thousands of citizens have visited book stalls on the third day of the international event, while school students visited in big numbers. Various schools have purchased stocks of the books for their libraries. The schools’ participation in the event revealed the success of the book fair.  These views were expressed by Aziz Khalid, while talking to media persons on Saturday at the expo centre.
It is pertinent to mention here that as many as 320 stalls have been set up in the fair while 70 stalls are more than the last year, while international publishers from USA, India, Iran, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UAE and England are attending the international event. He said that a large number of books related to children have been sold.