Coal mines safety.

Byline: Engineer Imran Sadiq - Karachi

I WAS appalled to read about the state of miners in Shangla in the report 'Fade to black' (Eos, May 31)

As a safety engineer, I can empathise with these poor labourers who often work long hours in dangerous conditions just to feed their families.

Almost all of these miners come from far-off areas for the sake of their families' better future. Yet they are exploited mercilessly by the operators of unregistered mines in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It is the responsibility of the respective provincial government to ensure the strict implementation of the existing laws. This is the best prescription to avoid the increasing number of coal mine incidents, injuries/illness and deaths.

I would like to point out the story of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), a joint venture between the Sindh government and the...