New factories will not be registered till the assurance of safety laws:Ahsan Iqbal

Lahore: A high level meeting was presided over by Member National Assembly and Chairman Institutional Reforms Group Ahsan Iqbal regarding safety of plants and factories in which it was decided that Environment Department will take action against factories set up in urban areas without any discrimination and these commercial institutions will be shifted outside the city. Similarly, new factories will not be registered till the assurance of implementation of safety laws. The meeting directed secretaries of labour, industries and environment departments to submit recommendations for protection of workers and labourers within two days besides a committee was also constituted for restoration of inspection of factories and industrial concerns.

Addressing the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal said that Punjab government wants to ensure hundred percent implementation of safety laws in factories and industrial institutions and on the directive of Chief Minister Punjab, steps are being taken on emergent basis. He said that training of fire fighting and safety from accidents should be imparted to industrial workers and besides factories and industries, arrangements of fire fighting should also be made in the offices. He said that if the concerned departments implement the law by fulfilling their responsibilities, happening of such incidents in the factories can be avoided. He said that Punjab government will take all out steps for the checking tragic incidents and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard. He also sought proposals from office-bearers of chambers of commerce and stressed upon them to take steps jointly with the government for ensuring implementation of existing laws.

Office-bearers of Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot Chambers of Commerce & representatives of labour organizations while expressing their views in the meeting said that there is a need of creating awareness in industrial institutions and the business community will have to play its role for ensuring implementation on labour laws in letter and spirit. Secretaries of labour, environment and industries departments, Commissioner Lahore Division, Director General 1122 and other senior officers were also present who gave briefing to the meeting with regard to their respective departments in the meeting.