GUJRANWALA, June 10: Transport Society Gujranwala's (TSG) vehicle owners and drivers staged a sit-in on the GT Road in Ghakkar Town on Thursday to protest against the transport ministry and the regional transport authority for winding up 600 wagons plying on the GT Road between Kamoki, Eminabad, Gujranwala, Ghakkar and Wazirabad to benefit the franchised buses.

They also chanted slogans against the government and the district administration. At a news conference, TSG Wagon Owners Association president Abdul Hamid and senior vice-president Amjad Pervaiz said the district administration through the RTA secretary was receiving taxes of Rs30 million per annum from wagon owners for providing them facilities, but the management of franchized buses was enjoying the same without paying the same.

They said this TSG's step would render 300,000 people jobless. They demanded that they should be allowed to ply wagons on the routes already approved by the RTA. They threatened that they would protest outside the Punjab Assembly if their demands were not accepted.

The RTA secretary confirmed that the wagon service between Kamoki, Eminabad, Gujranwala, Rahwali and Ghakkar Town was being stopped like Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi in accordance with the government policy.