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| July 22, 2002 | Monday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11,1423 |
Transporters protest ‘extortion’
GUJRANWALA, July 21: Transporters have protested against the toll tax extortion on the GT Road at Ghakkhar and Wazirabad by the tehsil council without any lawful authority.
The protest was lodged at a meeting held here on Sunday by the Transport Society Gujranwala (TSG) and other public transport vehicle owners of Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Ghakkhar, Rahwali, Eminabad and Kamoki with TSG vice-president Rana Amjad in the chair.
The participants asked the Punjab governor, district Nazim, district coordinating officer and other high-ups to take serious note of the situation.
They alleged that the Wazirabad tehsil council had started collecting toll tax from July 1 without auctioning contract or getting approval from the district government.
They accused that tehsil Nazim Shaukat Cheema’s men were receiving Rs12 from buses, coasters, trucks and other heavy vehicles per trip and Rs9 per wagon per trip.
Transporters further alleged that tehsil Nazim’s men were charging 11-fold fine from those vehicle owners who refused to pay the illegal toll tax.
Though the district government did not approve this year’s agreement, the tehsil Nazim who had auctioned the toll tax at Ghakkhar and Wazirabad last fiscal year to his men were continuing collecting it.
They demanded that an impartial inquiry should be conducted against the tehsil Nazim and the collection recovered by him and his men during the last fiscal year be deposited to the treasury.
FIVE KILLED: At least five people, including a minor boy, were killed and two dozen others injured in road accidents in and around the city here on Sunday.
Danish was crossing the road near Dhaunkel when a speeding bus crushed him to death. Later, the bus rammed into a roadside tree as a result of which around a dozen passengers sustained injuries. They were rushed to the Wazirabad THQ Hospital.
A speeding wagon going to Alipur Chattha from the city overturned near Kalaski after hitting a passer-by, Muhammad Aslam. Consequently, he died instantly while a dozen passengers received wounds. They were admitted to the local DHQ Hospital in critical condition.
Muhammad Yaqoob of Sheikhupura Road was knocked down by a coaster at high speed on the Sheikhupura Morr. He died on the way to the local Civil Hospital. He was crossing the road.
Police have registered a case against the absconding crew.
Muhammad Imran of Eminabad and Naveed Anjum of Sadhoki were run over respectively by Peshawar-bound and Lahore-bound buses on the GT Road. They died on the way to Civil Hospital, Kamoki.
Police have arrested the crews of both vehicles and are investigating.
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