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| April 14, 2002 | Sunday | Muharram 30, 1423 |
Police quick on impounding vehicles
LAHORE, April 13: Commuters faced great difficulty on Saturday when the city administration and police impounded hundreds of vehicles to transport people to Faisalabad to attend President Gen Musharraf’s public meeting on Sunday.
Reports reaching here say the vehicles were impounded from all over the Punjab, mainly from the districts close to the venue.
Punjab police and traffic personnel had set up pickets almost on all main roads of the city and its entry and exit points by late Friday night. They impounded vehicles, especially wagons, luxury buses and drove them to different police stations. Some of the vehicles were handed over to Nazimeen..
A driver whose wagon was taken into custody on Multan Road claimed neither he was charged with any offence nor he was told about any payment for the use of his vehicle in the public meeting.
The administration had claimed it would pay the owners for the use of vehicles. The governor had also directed the administration to make the payments.
However, a transporter outside Lahore railway station said he was used to such things. He said the administration would pay a meagre amount and after a lengthy and arduous procedure.
According to him, a majority of the transporters had taken their vehicles off road to avoid the impounding.
The official drive caused shortage of vehicles on roads. Bus stops were seen crowed, with people waiting for transport under the scorching sun
People had to travel by rickshaws, taxis and tongas paying almost double the fares. Exchange of harsh words were also seen at some bus stops during bids to catch a transport. It also resulted in delay and absence of the people from government offices, schools and other departments.
POLICE DISPATCH: Lahore city police sent its force to Faisalabad to heighten security and make traffic arrangements for the rally.
A meeting held in the office of Lahore DPO Javed Noor decided to send police reinforcement to Faisalabad and reviewed the working in Lahore with the remaining force.
A source said over 1,000 officials from police, Elite Force and other law enforcement agencies besides some 200 traffic policemen from Lahore had been assigned the duty in Faisalabad.
SHEIKHUPURA: The traffic police, during the last 24 hours, impounded hundreds of vehicles to carry maximum number of people to the president’s public meeting at Iqbal Park here on Sunday (today).
People of all ages were seen wandering on roads for public transports. During the last 48 hours, traffic remained thin.
When contacted, a traffic police spokesman told this correspondent that the high-ups had directed them to impound over 100 vehicles. He said the commuters would experience trouble for another couple of days.
Standing on the wagon stop, schoolteacher Shafqat said it was an illegal method to arrange for the meeting, adding the management should arrange its own transports.
There should be no burden on any government or private employee to attend the rally, he said.
TOBA TEK SINGH: The police on the third consecutive day on Saturday continued impounding wagons and buses to carry people to the president’s public meeting on April 14 (Sunday).
Commuters faced a great deal of difficulty especially in Kamalia and Gojra.
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