28 April 2005	Thursday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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BAHAWALPUR, April 27: Chemists on Wednesday closed their shops, staged a demonstration and blocked the Circular Road to protest against the licence fee collection by a TMA contractor. The TMA was collecting annual licence fee at the rate of Rs2,500, Rs1,500 and Rs1,000 annually from medicines agencies and medical stores through a private contractor.

According to chemists association’s office-bearers, the contractor allegedly misbehaved repeatedly with owners of medical stores over the fee recovery. On Wednesday, the contractor attempted to insult some of the chemists which led to protest and the chemists shut their business.

Later, a delegation went to the TMA office where representatives of chemists exchanged hot words with the TO (regulations).

On their return, the chemists blocked the Circular Road and demonstrated against the TMA. They also raised slogans against the TMA policy of licence fee.

According to chemists, the TMA could not auction the fee collection to any private person under the rules. They demanded that the TMA should directly recover the licence fee from medical stores and medical agencies.