FAISALABAD, Oct 27: The district government has decided in principle to introduce toll on all the five main roads of the city.

Sources said the Punjab government had refused to provide more funds for the district. This had forced the district management to tax road-users.

“The plan to impose toll tax on Sargodha Road, Millat Road, Narwala Road, Jhang Road and Canal Road would be the first of its kind in the province after abolition of the “octroi system” during Shahbaz rule,” the sources claimed.

Sources further alleged that the budget of the district government had escalated due to the wrong financial policies and extra non-developmental expenditure of the district head and his team.

“We have no option but to impose taxes on citizens for running the affairs of the district government and launching more development schemes in urban areas,” claimed a senior official of the district government on condition of anonymity.

He further told that an action plan was also being conceived at the district level for ensuring optimum collection of taxes imposed by the district government.

Meanwhile, traders’ organizations, NGOs and scores of Nazimeen and members of union councils have flayed the proposed plan of the district government.

They said it was due to failure of the district government in getting funds from the provincial government and controlling misuse of funds and non-developmental excesses.