GUJRANWALA: A number of workers of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) held a demonstration outside the office of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) general manager against the government taxes on gas bills.

The protesters, led by Furqan Aziz Butt and Aniq Hasan Randhawa, chanted slogans against the government as well as the gas company.

Addressing the protesters, the JI local leaders said the 200pc increase in gas bills and Rs500 meter charge were not acceptable at all, complaining that the bill were being raised though there was erratic supply of the Sui gas.

They demanded the government immediately end the increase in the gas bills as it was unbearable for the poor.

The speakers said the JI had been raising its voice against inflation and raised cost of the utilities, including gas. They said the government should withdraw the increase in the bills; otherwise, the JI would stage a sit-in on the GT Road. The demonstrators ended the protest by giving an ultimatum of one week.

BRIDGE: The 56-year-old overhead bridge in Wazirabad is in a dilapidated condition due to the negligence of the authorities and it’s causing damage to the vehicles using it.

The bridge has deep puddles at places and its condition has gotten worse during the last five years.

The condition of the bridge is so bad that its causes accidents frequently as heavy traffic continues to run on it. The bridge passes through the city centre for the Rawalpindi-Lahore traffic while the traffic going to Sialkot, Narowal and Shakargarh was also using it.

It was inaugurated in 1967 by the then federal minister of communications Muhammad Khan Junejo. There is the DSP office on one side of the bridge while the Wazirabad assistant commissioner has his office on the other side.

The citizens demand the authorities to immediately repair the bridge to protect the lives of commuters and motorists.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2023