FAISALABAD, Jan 15: More than two dozen incidents of clashes were reported on Thursday between contractors' staff and motorists as the district government started collection of toll tax on five major roads.

Duty officers of Thikriwala, Sargodha Road and Khurrianwala police stations confirmed the reports of clashes in which a number of people sustained injuries, adding that they had not received any written complaint against any person for the registration of cases. People were seen exchanging hot words with the armed men of contractors at toll posts.

The district government had decided to impose toll tax on 11 roads of the district during the last fiscal year. But it failed to implement it due to strong resistance from all segments of society. It announced imposition of toll tax again in the current financial year on five roads instead of 11.

The collection of toll tax on Sargodha Road, Jhang Road, Resalewala Road, Khurrianwala to Jaranwala Road and Jaranwala to Satiana Road started on Thursday after approval from the district council in a special session held here on Monday last. The decision was taken amid stiff opposition of councillors, even from treasury, and lack of quorum.

The opposition claimed that such an important decision was forced on the people without any debate on the issue. People coming from far flung areas of the district showed anger on the imposition of toll tax. The ill-planned move also created traffic problems as the motorists refused to pay the tax and parked their vehicles in the middle of the road.

Meanwhile, PPP MPA Jahanzeb Gill, opposition leader in the district council Naeem Dastgir, Usman Saeed, Dilbar Hameed, Arshad Dogar and Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmad, Faisalabad Transporters Union president Israr Ahmad Khan, PML-N leader Shadab Kissana, All-Pakistan Sizing Industries Association chairman Mirza Shafiq, All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran chairman Sheikh Taj Mahmood and representatives of a number of NGOs and trade bodies severely criticized the district government for imposing toll tax.

They termed the toll tax as against the interest of common people and a clear violation of the local government rules. They urged the chief minister to direct the district government to immediately stop the tax collection.

A number of opposition members of the district council threatened that they would launch protest campaigns and set up hunger strike camps on main roads of the district if the tax collection was not stopped in a week.

The district government had awarded the contract of toll tax collection on Sargodha Road for Rs6.3 million, Jhang Road for Rs4.6 million, Resalewala Road for Rs6.305 million, Khurrianwala to Jaranwala Road for Rs430,000 and Jaranwala to Satiana Road for Rs280,000.