District Ghotki is blessed with
natural resources e.g. oil and gas, cotton, sugarcane, wheat and rice;
it is second industrial district in Sindh after Noriabad Karachi.
Natural resources of district are being discovered day-by-day, which
leads to expansion of district. District Ghotki possess four largest Oil
and Gas fields, two fertilizers factories, threepower plants, 50 cotton
factories, about 25 rice mills, and 8 flour mills. These include Mari
Gas Field, Qadirpur Oil and Gas Field, Talu Gas Field, Petronas Gas
Field, Engro Fertilizers (which is the largest fertilizer company in the
Asia), FFC Mirpur Mathelo, Engro Energy Limited Qadirpur, Liberty Power
Plant Daharki and Foundation Power Company (Daharki) Limited (FPCDL).
It is told that feasibility report of a fertilizer factory, two power
plants, two sugar mills and a Steel Mill near Qazi Wah railway line is
ready to be implemented. This district has also been cursed by the
feudalists, Sardars and Waderas, which are the main cause of the
illiteracy rate, slavery and unawareness of the people of the district.
Engro was founded as Esso Pakistan Fertilizer Company Limited in 1968;
later on it was renamed by Exxon Chemical Pakistan Limited in 1978. In
1991, Exxon decided to sale its business, it was sold to employees of
Exxon Chemical and it became Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited. Now Engro
Fertilizers Daharki (renamed in june 2009) is the largest urea plant of
Asia. Average urea production rate of Engro is 950 KT/annum; it will
reach to 1.3 MT/annum approximately, after starting its second plant,
which is expected this year.
Second urea plant was founded with the efforts of Shaheed Zulifqar Ali
Bhutto helped by of Saudi Arab Government in 1975, and was named as Pak
Saudi Fertilizers Company Mirpur Mathelo. Pak Saudi’s second urea
plant was announced by Shaheed Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1989, which
started production within two years. Pak Saudi Fertilizers was
privatized in the era of General Pervez Musharaf, it was sold to Fauji
Foundation in 2002, in Rupees 7150000000. It was told by the Employees
Union of Pak Saudi that it was the price of land only. 416 employees of
Pak Saudi were forcibly dismissed from the job by FFC-III after
overtaking the Paksaudi. Average Production rate of FFC-III is 0.8
MT/annum.
No doubt district Ghotki is enriched with natural resources and is an
industrial zone, but people of the district are unable to have meal of
single time. In spite of several industries, residents of the district
are unemployed; we can hardly find 2% local residents in the management,
about 20% as permanent employees’ cadre, but daily wagers and contract
based workers who have been working in the companies since decades, are
local residents of the districts.
Contract based workers have been working in the companies since past
decades; they are not provided facilities as per labour law, even they
don’t have job security. Even after the announcements made by
President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, locals
have not been regularized yet, Labour department has failed to implement
the law in the organizations.
Recently, FFC Schools Mirpur Mathelo had advertised for vacancies of
teachers, sources told about 4000 applications were received, 50 were
short listed, 10 were appointed, 9 from the Punjab and 1 from Larkana,
no local candidate was appointed or called for the interview. This
action of FFC School had disappointed the youth; which became cause of
dejection for the youth of the district. Recently, Engro Schools have
also advertised job opportunities for the teachers, let’s see what
happens, and lets see how many locals are being for short listed!
Public of the district is deprived of quality education as well, no
medical or engineering college is founded yet. In spite of 3 power
plants in the district, power outage is regular on schedule.
Billions of rupees are received as tax from industries; The district is
agriculturally rich as well, it is the one of the regions which empowers
economy but when someone happens to visit here would find it dirty and
slummy. Roads are the covered with garbage, Drainages system is
imperfect, dirty water has covered the streets. Unfortunately neither
district government nor the industries had ever taken steps to improve
the condition of the district. Nevertheless, Engro, MGCL, FFC, EEL and
other industries have been active in conducting seminars on keep city
green, keep city clean agenda.
Environmental Pollution has reached at alarming level, Grey water of the
urea plants enter in the lands, which ruins crops and land as well.
Emission Ammonia gas causes various illnesses in the district, people of
are mostly suffering from breathing problem, Kidney problem, Hepatitis
and Itching. Unfortunately no industry had dared to establish any better
welfare hospital in Daharki and Ghotki.
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