NAWABSHAH, Oct 7: Goods transporters blocked the National Highway at Sakrand bypass on Sunday in protest against the arrest of three transporters and imposition of a tax by the market committee on vehicles carrying goods entering or leaving the town.

Raising slogans against police and the market committee, hundreds of transporters of Sakrand town parked trucks and pick-ups on the highway, causing its blockade.

A police contingent, led by Sakrand SPO Mazhar Hussain Hisbani, reached the spot and held talks with the transporters. He assured them that the arrested transporters would be released after which they lifted the blockade.

In the meantime, vehicular traffic on the highway remained blocked for almost an hour.

Noor Nabi Keerio, Raees Khanzada and other transporters told journalists that the police, on directives of the market committee officials, raided the goods transport terminal and arrested Ghulam Hussain, Mohammed Yasin and Khurshid Punjabi without any reason. They alleged that the police severely beat them up and had lodged them at the lock-up of a police station though there were no arrest warrants against them.

They said that the Sakrand market committee had imposed an ‘illegal’ tax of Rs100 on the entry and exit of on each goods-laden vehicle and the transporters were being forced to pay it.

They demanded of the higher authorities to take notice of the matter and direct the taluka municipal administration to withdraw the tax.