Federal cabinet okays $2.58m for slain Chinese workers

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has accorded approval to a decision of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet regarding $2.58 million compensation package for the families of five Chinese workers of the Dasu Hydropower Project and Rs2.5 million to a local (driver) killed in a terrorist attack near Shangla.

The approval of compensation for five Chinese workers of China Gezhouba Group (contractor) was approved at the rate of $516,000 per head, as a goodwill gesture. The ECC at its meeting held on Thursday had approved $2.58 million grant (Rs717 million) for the families of five slain Chinese workers. Every family will get $516,000 equal to Rs143.4 million. The Ministry of Water Resources had moved a summary to the ECC for approval of compensation grant. The supplementary grant would be arranged by the Finance Ministry itself as the Ministry of Water Resources did not have such funds in the budget. The amount would be transferred to the account of the Pakistani embassy in Beijing for onward payments to the families of the deceased Chinese nationals through appropriate channels.