Lahore  - On Block 2 of Pakistan’s Thar Coalfield, there is a worker who has been designated as an excellent employee for several consecutive years. His name is Girdhari, now Assistant to the Human Resource Manager of the open-pit coal mine project.

It has been the fifth year since Girdhari joined the project team. When he got on board in 2016, Thar was in the rainy season. Despite the precautions on the site, days of rainfall produced marked effects on mining operations. The soil was saturated with water, roads became muddy and slippery, ditches were overloaded and equipment could not run. Makeshift tents accommodating newly-coming drivers and workers were soaked by the pouring rain, which showed no sign of stopping. 

Regardless of the ravaging storm, Girdhari rushed to the camp at midnight to help transfer the people there to safe areas. Though wet to the skin, he did not utter even one word of complaint. Rather, he consoled his colleagues, “OK, no issue”. Since then, it became his pet phrase.

Located in a region with a tropical desert climate, Thar Coalfield is not an agreeable place for its scorching, dry environment and frequent sand storms. But Girdhari managed to weather the difficulties posed by harsh natural conditions, insufficient supplies, cultural difference, and personnel inadequacy. To recruit truck drivers among local folks, he arranged tests day after day in intense heat. Over the past five years, he has engaged over 1200 drivers. 

Being recognized for his outstanding performance and capability, his duties were gradually expanded to camp and human resource management. “Execution of a project is no easy task. Workers have to adapt themselves to the high temperature here and overcome some extreme conditions such as poisonous snakes, intense falls, and sand storms. But their efforts are rewarding. Their driving and operating skills have been enhanced, which can also facilitate their life.”

After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Girdhari remained active on the frontline, defying all the physical and mental barriers.

In life, Girdhari’s good humour and kind heart have also won acclamation from his colleagues and seniors. When someone is seeking a helping hand, he would say, “OK, no issue.”Chen Qiande, Human Resource Manager, speaks highly of him as a “down-to-earth, detail-oriented, conscientious, and reliable” person.