KARACHI, July 13: Protesting over the recent burning of two buses by gangsters, the inter-provincial bus operators blocked the RCD Highway for four hours on Tuesday.

The Sindh-Balochistan Bus-Coaches Owners Association vowed that the bus operators would not run their vehicles from Lyari and demanded that they must immediately be given land for a permanent terminus at Yousuf Goth.

The bus operators blocked the RCD Highway from 5pm to 9pm. However, the highway was reopened for traffic after successful negotiations with the police and Rangers. Following the negotiations, the bus operators started using Raees Goth as their terminus.

"Our two buses were burnt in Lyari by a notorious Arshad Pappoo group on Sunday. The group further hurled threats of dire consequences. In these circumstances, we cannot continue our business in Lyari," president of the association, Aurangzeb Baloch told Dawn.

He said: "The government has failed to provide security and our two buses were burnt by criminals. As it was mere negligence of the law enforcers, the government should pay us compensation," he added.

He said that the police and Rangers officials held meeting with the association's office-bearers and assured them of accepting their demands. He said that the association temporarily continued the inter-provincial bus operation from Raees Goth on the Highway.

"As soon as we get the terminus, we will shift to that place," he added. SITE Town Police Officer Imran Shaukat, who was present during the negotiations, said that the bus operators had demanded a piece of land and the police assured them that their meeting with the city government officials concerned would be arranged on Wednesday.

As far as the compensation of two buses was concerned, he said, the bus operators were assured that their request would be forwarded to the government. He said that the bus operators demanded a piece of land in Yusuf Goth. Quoting the bus operators, he said that they had sought the land within three days and maintained that they would build the terminus on their own.