January 01, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 21, 1428

KARACHI, Dec 31: The Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) has asked the government for payment of compensation with regard to their vehicles destroyed by rioters over the past few days, and warned that it would start an indefinite strike if the government remained indifferent to the losses.

KTI president Syed Irshad Hussain Bukhari and General Secretary Syed Mahmood Afridi said in a statement on Monday that several hundred vehicles belonging to transporters had been set ablaze in the violence that started on Dec 27 causing heavy losses to KTI members.

They said buses and mini-buses were operated on Monday till the evening but after sporadic incidents of firing in different areas, the vehicles had to be withdrawn.

They said the plying of public transport vehicles on Tuesday was risky and thus unlikely.

They also demanded intensified patrolling by rangers and police to ensure security.

They noted that the KTI had planned to bring all public transport vehicles on roads on Sunday but no officials from the Sindh government, the city government and the police department contacted it with assurance to provide security.

They said that the DCO Karachi, however, thanked the KTI for operating the public transport vehicles on Monday.—PPI