FAISALABAD, April 8: The TMA councillors boycotted proceedings of a session to mark their protest against delay in release of sports funds and stipend for students. The session held here on Thursday under the chair of convener Zahid Rasheed Dhiloon noted with concern that despite repeated requests made by the TMA Saddar, the provincial and district governments had failed to release the said amounts in the last one year.

The demanded that the funds and stipends should be given in a week, otherwise they would launch a protest campaign. They also urged the Punjab chief minister to include the union council Naib Nazims in the free distribution of books among students.

The convener assured the councillors that their demand would be communicated to the authorities concerned. The session was adjourned for an indefinite period.

LOADER-RICKSHAWS: The district government has formulated a phased plan to ban the entry of donkey-carts in the city. These will be replaced by loader-rickshaws.

A government official told this correspondent on Thursday that the ban on donkey-carts would be imposed in eight bazaars. In the first phases, some 25 donkey-cart owners would be given loader-rickshaws on a lease.

They would have to pay 10 per cent of the total amount of the loader-rickshaw as down payment while the remaining amount would be leased for three years by a company. Local philanthropists, he said, would pay Rs15,000 for each loader-rickshaw as donation.

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