KARACHI: Ten power looms, abandoned for the last 10 years in the Central Prison, were repaired and returned to the authorities concerned with the technical support of a private firm on Saturday.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Home Affairs Waseem Akhtar, who was chief guest on the occasion, inaugurated the machines.

He said the successive government did not bother in past to maintain the power looms which could be a reasonable source of income for the prisoners. Besides, after their release from the jails and necessary training the prisoners could earn a respectable life. He said some other prisons were also having the machines, but still non-functional.

Waseem Akhtar said the rulers wasted the time in the past and did nothing for the welfare of inmates. The abandoned power looms, lack of space for inmates in jails, transportation facilities for prisoners and poor condition of the police hospital was glaring examples of the negligence of rulers in the past, he added.

He said some people in the past only concentrated on registration of fake cases, but he did not believe in wrongdoings and wanted to do a lot for the betterment of people, adding that opposition members were being provided equal share in the development funds.

Earlier, Sindh IG Prisons Yamin Khan said 34 machines (power looms) in Hyderabad jail and 22 in Landhi were lying abandoned for the last one decade. He asked the well-off people and philanthropists to come forward and provide technical support to jail authorities in this regard.

Industrialist Ikhtiar Baig said he would contact the industrialists in SITE to donate their closed units or provide the machines at low rate to the jails.

Consul General of France Pierre Seillan also spoke.

Source: Dawn

Date:3/25/2007