GUJRANWALA, Dec 28: The Regional Transport Authority and the district administration have planned to seize over 500 public transport vehicles to carry the ruling party workers to welcome President Gen Pervez Musharraf in Gujrat on Dec 31.

They have reportedly directed all adda managers to arrange 50 vehicles each. Meanwhile, the local administration is learnt to have started impounding vehicles causing a great deal of inconvenience to commuters.

When this correspondent tried to contact the RTA secretary, he was unavailable for comments. On the other hand, bus and wagon owners protested against the district administration and RTA for impounding their vehicles for official use. They said the PML activists should hire vehicles on payment.

SHOT DEAD: A coachman was shot dead while his two colleagues injured over their refusal to pay jagga (forced) tax at tonga stand at Garjakh on Tuesday. Reports said Fazeel Butt and his men were receiving tax from coachmen for parking their tongas along the Garjakh Road.

However, Arif Ishaq and his colleagues Arif Kalu and Shaukat Ali refused to pay tax and exchanged harsh words with the collectors, who in a rush of blood resorted to firing.

As a result, Arif died on the spot while his colleagues suffered injuries after which they were removed to the District Headquarters Hospital in critical condition. Police have registered a case and are investigating.

ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL: Punjab Accountant-General Wazir Ahmad Qureshi has ordered to stop payment of salary to the Hafizabad social welfare deputy-director for not completing a pension case of a deceased supervisor of the department despite a lapse of four years.

At a meeting held here on Tuesday, he took a serious notice of the inefficiency regarding completion of pension cases of retired government officials. Mr Qureshi summoned Executive District Officer (education) Raja Khadim Hussain, got prepared the pension case of subject specialist Ghulam Rasul Sahi (retired) and handed over to the local accounts office for release of his pension.

He ordered the chief conservative officer to appear before the public accounts committee chairman on Jan 5 for not completing the pension case of forest ranger Shabir Hussain Qureshi.

BURNT ALIVE: A minor boy burnt alive when his clothes caught fire due to a gas heater in Kamoki on Tuesday. Reports said Abdullah (2) was asleep while his mother went upstairs. The bed and clothes of the boy caught fire. He died on the spot.

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