MIRPURKHAS: A large number of taxi drivers took out a procession in Jhuddo town on Thursday in protest against recent hike in the price of petroleum products.

The protesters marched on roads carrying banners and placards and raising slogans against the federal government before converging on town committee office where their leaders made speeches condemning the government for dealing a serious blow to their livelihood.

They said that the recent rise in POL prices had hit hard their small-scale business. The federal government had devastated the country economically by increasing prices of petroleum products and other essential commodities periodically.

The rise in the rates of construction materials had brought all development activities to a halt while owners of parking stands for taxis, buses and vans had increased their rent, they complained.

They demanded the federal government immediately withdraw the recent hike in the fuel prices and also reduce prices of essential commodities.

Police later dispersed the protesters.

Governor takes notice

Sindh governor has taken strict notice of the health department’s decision to shift emergency and cardiac wards from old Mirpurkhas civil hospital building to the newly-built district headquarters facility and written a letter to secretary of health in this regard.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, the governor directed the secretary to immediately restore emergency and cardiac wards on the premises of the old civil hospital building along with required staff, including doctors and medicines and equipment without further delay.

Leaders of the MQM-Pakistan Mirpurkhas district chapter said that the governor had taken notice of the issue after the party’s district leaders met him recently.

The patients and their attendants had to travel six kilometres to the newly-constructed district headquarters hospital after the health department shifted emergency and cardiac wards from the old civil hospital building.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2023