May 12, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1428

MULTAN, May 11: Commuters’ misery compounded on Friday as police with the help of the transport department impounded more buses in most of the cities in Punjab in an “effort to make Saturday’s Islamabad rally a success”.

The situation on the ground was contrary to what the Punjab Chief Minister had told a news conference in Islamabad on Friday. The entire official machinery was involved in doing what they could do to please their masters. The attendance in offices was very thin and there was no body to attend to public who visited different offices for the solution to their problems.

The scenes at the Multan General Bus Stand were pathetic. Abdul Jabbar, along with his wife and three kids, was an annoyed man.

“I have to go to Lahore for treatment of my two years old son but no AC bus is available. I am wandering here for the last four hours”

An elderly woman, a diabetic, said when the government was not in a position to give any relief to its masses, it must not create problems for them. “The district nazim should come here and see how the people are suffering in heat and in the absence of basic facilities at the bus stand,” she said.

Tariq Naeemullah, former PML general secretary, alleged that the district government had collected Rs50,000 each from its contractors while towns had got Rs10,000 each from their contractors. He further claimed that the district government was bearing the travel cost.

MPA Babu Nafees Ansari said the district government had bound all the sanitary staff to participate in the rally.

PPP MPA Dr Javed Siddiqi said that a large population was deprived of basic facilities but the government was spending billions of rupees on this rally.

Ruling party MPA Shehnaz Akhtar said the PML was bearing all expenses.

Rai Mansab Ali, district PML president, said no public servant had been bound to participate in the meeting.

He said a caravan of 90 buses would move to Islamabad from Multan.

GUJRAT: Three executive district officers of revenue, education and health have directed employees to gather at district offices at 8am on Saturday where their attendance would marked. Later, they would be driven to Islamabad.

The EDOs threatened them with strict departmental action if anyone missed the event.

The number of buses and wagons impounded in the city rose to 800 on Friday. Most of the vehicles were parked on the Government Science College lawns. The RTA secretary was seen delivering vehicles to different UC nazims.

Meanwhile, the local government secretary has directed the Kharian TMA through a letter to stop work on all ongoing schemes till the approval of the budget.

Kharian tehsil nazim Nadeem Asghar Kaira had presented the budget but the house had not approved it last year. Later the ruling and opposition members had agreed to start developmental works due to fear of lapse of funds. The TMA had sanctioned works worth Rs90 million through tenders last month. But the provincial government had suspended the works in a bid to teach Kaira a lesson.

The Kairas had accorded a warm welcome to suspended CJP and his caravan on their arrival to Lalamusa on May 5.

VEHARI: Ruling party MPs and nazims were struggling in their efforts to lure people.

Most of the people the PML and administration were contacting to were not ready for 20 hours return journey.

Mian Saqib Khrsheed, tehsil nazim, said `PML workers’ were reluctant because of the wheat harvesting season. Sources said some baits offered by MPs and patwaris had also failed to attract people

SHEIKHUPURA: Bus and wagon stands wore deserted looks in wake of official drive to impound public transport while commuters stranded there were cursing the government.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Ruling party officer-bearers and administration have been asked to bring 4,100 people to Islamabad.

A source disclosed that administration would arrange 90 wagons and 24 buses for the purpose. Employees from revenue and other departments were also asked to attend the rally.