June 10, 2007	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24, 1428

MULTAN, June 9: District Nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtar wants to deprive more than 22,000 tonga, donkey cart, bull cart and hand carriage owners of their livelihood by banning slow-moving vehicles in Multan, Workers Forum Chairman Tariq Naeemullah told a rally here on Saturday.

Hundreds of people participated in Saturday’s rally along with their bull carts, donkey carts, tongas and hand carriages. The rally started from Vihari Chowk and ended at Clock Tower Chowk.

Addressing the rally, tonga and cart union leaders said they wanted to pay the hackney carriage tax, but the contractor was collecting 400 per cent additional tax.

They said that they protested against this ‘injustice’ and the Punjab government eliminated the tax collection system from the province.

They said the district nazim should provide the tonga and cart owners with alternative sources of livelihood if he wanted to eliminate the slow-moving vehicles from the city. They said they would move court against the government decision.