June 30, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1428

GUJRANWALA, June 29: Transporters strongly protested against increasing fines for violation of traffic laws by the Punjab government without providing better facilities to them.

Public Transport Vehicle Association leaders Chaudhry Abdul Hamid, Aftab Ahmad, Ashraf Butt and Auto Rickshaw Union general secretary Nasir Javed and Babu Arshad said at a meeting on Friday traffic police impounded their vehicles on minor mistakes and imposed Rs1,500 to Rs3,000 fine which was too high for them to pay.

They said they were not being provided facilities like proper stops to pick and drop passengers.

They claimed that the traffic police and district administration wanted to benefit franchised bus owners.

They said the increase in fines would force a number of owners of one vehicle out of job thus increasing unemployment in the country.

They suggested that heavy vehicles should be banned in city as they caused traffic jams, particularly from Gondlanwala Chowk to Sheranwala Bagh. They said traders associations and people had already demanded that franchised bus service should be banned in city as drivers crushed about a dozen people to death due to over speeding and reckless driving.

They threatened that they would go on strike and block roads by parking their vehicles on them if the increase in fine was not withdrawn.

Ironically, chief traffic officer Iftikharul Haq warned the vehicle owners to abide by the traffic laws otherwise they would have to pay double fine from July 1.

MOTORCYCLISTS: Meanwhile, Jamiat Ahle Hadith district president Mian Salim Shahid said motorcyclists face the wrath of traffic police and alleged that they were minting money in the name of checking of documents.

He said he had talked to city police officer Khadim Husain Bhatti and requested him to stop his force from harassing motorcyclists on the pretext of documents checking. But he failed to take any step.

METERS: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has decided to install meters “to avert water theft and enhance revenue.”

Wasa director (engineering) Muhammad Arshad told Dawn here on Friday that the number of water supply connections, domestic and commercial, was 30,000. But mostly consumers did not pay bills regularly as a result of which outstanding amount against them rose to Rs230 million. The agency failed to recover it from them despite disconnection.

He said a summary regarding installation of meters was sent to the Punjab government which has been approved.

He said domestic and commercial consumers would be charged at different rates.

Meanwhile, consumers opposed the decision and said they would not pay bills as Wasa failed to supply potable water. Instead people were suffering from diseases like hepatitis and gastroenteritis due to using contaminated water.

They criticised the government and said the poor people were buried alive under heavy utility bills.

MEETING PUT OFF: The public meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party, which was scheduled to be held at Sheranwala Bagh at 4pm, has been postponed due to heavy rain.

PPP divisional president MNA Imtiaz Safdar Warriach said the meeting would now be held on July 13 at the same venue.

He said preparations for the meeting were complete while the Punjab home secretary has also given permission to hold meeting.

It is learnt that the city district government and the city police officer had not allowed the PPP to hold public meeting due to law and order situation.