KARACHI – The lower grade employees of the Sindh Secretariat enjoyed an unannounced holiday on Thursday following Karachi Transport Ittehad’s strike call to protest the recent raise in fuel prices. The lower staff of almost all administrative departments of the provincial secretariat remained absent from their respective offices following the unavailability of public transport on the city’s roads. The corridors of Tughlaq House, secretariat’s new building, old KDA building and other adjoining barracks wore a deserted look.
However, a large number of senior officials, including secretaries, additional and deputy secretaries, directors, deputy directors, superintendents and section officers attended their duties as usual since they possess official as well as their own vehicles. The offices of a number of provincial ministers and their staff also remained closed and not a single person was observed visiting the offices of these elected representatives.
Usually, the lower staff does not go to work on the basis of a solid reason, that is, unavailability of public transport. However, they could have availed the facility of secretariat’s point-buses. In an attempt to ensure availability of transport on city’s roads, the provincial government had urged the transporters to run their transport as per routine. However, the transporters turned down the request for fear that protesters might torch their vehicles, which according to transporters, has become a custom in the city.
