FAISALABAD, June 12: The City District Government Faisalabad announced that the decision to impose toll tax on seven major roads in the district for the year 2006-2007 would not be reverted despite strong protest offered by residents of some 100 villages a few days ago.
The local government had planned to impose the toll on 13 major roads in the district in the year 2005 and awarded contracts for the collection of toll. But members of the then district government piled up pressure on the government to withdraw the toll on Samundri Road, Jaranwala Road, Canal Road, Sargodha Road, Sheikhupura Road and Jhang Road.
Residents of villages along the Narwala, Aminpur and Pansera, and Millat roads have been protesting against toll on their roads for the last one year. The local administration had assured them that the toll would be withdrawn from the year 2006-07.
As of now, villagers of these areas had staged four demonstrations during the last one week against this toll tax and announced the launching of a massive protest campaign in case their demand was not met.
Moved not in an inch by villagers’ protest threat, the local government called tenders from interested parties to award contracts for the collection of toll.
Seven roads — Tandlianwala Road, Samundri Road, Jaranwala Road, Millat Road to Khichian Road, Narwala Road to Aminpur Road, Dijkot-Sir Shameer Road to Pansera-Gojra Road and Samundri-Garh to Kanjwani Road — have been put on the list of contracts.
The area people are of the view that all these major roads have the status of farm-to-market roads and were constructed from the sugar cess funds collected from growers.
They said that it was highly uncalled for that the government utilised funds of farmers and was now asking the poor growers to pay in the shape of toll tax.
Residents of about 100 villages have announced the staging of another protest demonstration on Tuesday (today).
ARRESTED: Nishatabad police claimed to have arrested three suspects and recovered illicit weapons in huge quantity from their possession here on Monday.
The police said that on a tip-off, heavy police contingents raided a house at Tariqabad and arrested three suspects and seized eight pistols, four Kalashnikovs, three rifles, two repeater guns and scores of cartridges from them. Police were keeping the identity of the arrested men secret. Investigation on various lines has been started.
DEMO: Scores of kiln workers staged a protest demonstration outside city district nazim offices against kiln owners here on Monday. Protesting kiln workers along with their kith and kin were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against kiln owners. They also marched through various city roads.
They alleged that kiln workers were not being paid according to the judgment of the Supreme Court and that they were working in unhygienic conditions.
They demanded that the chief minister should take stock of the situation and direct local Labour Department authorities to ensure their payment according to the judgment of the apex court.
