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GUJRANWALA, Nov 17: Owners of around 600 foundries on Monday took out a rally and staged a sit-in outside the local Steel Mills sub-office in protest against the rise in prices of pig iron and coal by Pakistan Steel Mills and coal agencies.
They warned of a country-wide protest strike if prices of steel and coal were not reduced immediately.
Carrying placards and banners, they together with their workers assembled on the GT Road and chanted slogans against the Steel Mills management.
Later, they reached the Trust Plaza and staged the sit-in outside the sub-office of the Steel Mills. They demanded that small sale depots should be established in the city for they had to purchase steel from dealers at higher prices.
Similarly, they said that coal agency holders had also enhanced the coal price with the arrival of the winter season which had added to their problems.
TEACHER INJURED: Robbers shot at and injured a teacher and took away cash and valuables worth hundreds of thousands of rupees in several strikes in the district on Monday.
Reports said a teacher, Shabbir Ahmad, was taking his niece to Theri Sansi village by his motorcycle when three armed men on a motorcycle stopped them near the Upper Chenab Canal bridge on the GT Road. They snatched Rs5,000 cash and wristwatches from them and shot at and injured the teacher on resistance.
He was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital in critical condition.
Two armed men entered a shop owned by two brothers and held up the servant, and deprived him of Rs20,000 in cash. They had hardly locked him in a room when the brothers, Sheikh Islam and Sheikh Irfan, reached there.
The outlaws held them up and robbed them of Rs10,000 in cash and their motorcycle.
PADDY DESTROYED: A huge quantity of paddy lying in the open near the grain markets was destroyed by rain on Sunday night.
Reports said the farmers provided huge quantity of paddy to commission agents of the grain markets, who stored it at open places. A huge quantity was destroyed in heavy rain.
