Traders and shop owners complained their business was hit badly by the 10 to 12 hours power cut daily.

When contacted, Wapda SDO Siddique Shahid said the decision was taken on the orders of the Islamabad Control Centre.

The business community has urged the authorities concerned to take stock of the situation and provide a relief to the consumers.

Daily wagers plea: Dozens of daily-wage labourers on Monday protested against the local income tax officials for serving notices of producing records of three years and original vouchers of income tax, although, they are exempt from it.

They complained the IT officials were abusing power as they had been serving notices to them under section 61 of the income tax ordinance 1979.

The residents on the old bus stand Road, Khanewal Road, Pirmurad, People’s Colony, Muslim Town, Club Road, Shaheen Market, Eidgah Road, Bhatta Shadi Khan, Danywal and College Town Road claimed they had been earning Rs70 to 100 daily, saying the officials had asked them to produce their cash books, original vouchers of purchases and carbon copies of cash memos for sales ledgers, stock register, bank pass books and complete details of their bills from 1999 to 2001.

They maintained the authorities concerned had warned them that failure to comply with any of the terms would result in an ex-parte assessment under section 63 of the said ordinance. They would be liable to penalty under section 110 and prosecution under section 117 of the said ordinance, they added.

The protesters said the officials had also demanded evidence which the return of their total income tax was based on.

When contacted, an official in the department told this correspondent that assessment of income was being made for those the income of whose exceeds Rs50,000 according to the government policy.

The labourers have urged the higher-ups to take stock of the situation and stop serving notices to them.