June 26, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 29, 1427

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FAISALABAD, June 25: Scores of powerloom workers on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the Press Club to express their resentment over the failure of the local administration in implementing the wages formula and duty hours.

Protesting industrial workers of Samanabad, Factory Area, Mominabad, Nawabanwala and Maqsoodabad were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.

They marched through various city roads and also held a demonstration outside offices of the City District Nazim.

Protesters claimed that they had launched their protest movement some three months back, and the city district nazim had assured them that they would be enrolled with the Social Security Institution and would be given wages accordingly.

Uptill now, they said not a single demand had been accepted and loom workers in the Faisalabad district were forced to work at petty allowances in unhygienic conditions.

They threatened to launch a vigorous protest campaign if their demands were not met within a week.

AUCTIONED: The City District Government Faisalabad auctioned contracts for the collection of toll on five major roads in the district despite the announcement of its withdrawal by the city district nazim in the larger “public interest”.

The auction was held at the Zila Council hall under the supervision of an auction committee led by the EDO (R). A large number of contractors and interested parties participated in it.

The toll collection on Tandlianwala Road was awarded to contractor Muhammad Ashraf against Rs1.47 million, Jaranwala Road to Ashraf Ali against Rs3.57 million and Millat Road to Jawed Iqbal against Rs4.20 million.

While the contract for toll collection on Dijkot-Sar Shameer Road was awarded to contractor Muhammad Farooq against Rs1.90 million and Samundri Road to Khalid Mehmood against Rs2.26 million. Contracts for Narwala Road and Aminpur Road could not be allotted for lack of interest shown by contractors.

CDGF officials engaged in the auction process claimed they had not been intimated about the withdrawal of toll on these roads. They said the process to award contracts had been completed through open auction to save officials from audit objections.

However, the fate of levying the toll on these roads would finally be decided in the district assembly session.

A group of councillors said they were against the toll and would try their utmost to get it withdraw in the district assembly session.

City District Nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef, in a recent meeting with councillors and government officials, had announced the withdrawal of toll on seven major roads in the district.