RAWALPINDI, Dec 28: More than 200 transporters observed a seven-hour hunger strike on Saturday against the franchise of route no 7 to a private transport company.

They ended the strike after District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani assured them that their problems would be solved.

The transporters’ unions have been protesting for the last few days after their permits for route no 7 were cancelled. A temporary route from Golra to Saddar had been created to pacify the affected transporters. But, they feared that the route might be cancelled and demanded it to be made permanent.

The transporters set up camps near Mareer Chowk on Thursday where the union offices are located.

Hundreds of transporters gathered there to protest against what they said was ‘discrimination against transporters’. Later, the leaders of some other unions also joined in the protest of the transporters.

With the owners on strike, dozens of buses and small hiaces, that had been removed from route no 7, were lined up on both sides of the main road.

MNAs Zamarud Khan and Ijazul Haq, MPAs Malik Ibrar, Chaudhry Ayaz and Ishtiaq Mirza, Tehsil Naib Nazim Sajjad Khan and about a dozen lawyers visited the hunger strike camps and expressed solidarity with the transporters. The elected representatives supported the transporters and promised that they would raise the franchise issue in the provincial assembly.

“No one should be given exclusive rights to operate vehicles on any route,” they said. It is not only excess with the transporters, but also with the people at large, they added.

Later, the district Nazim, Raja Tariq Kiani, visited the camps and assured the transporters that their problems would be given sympathetic consideration. Some of the problems put before the Nazim by the transporters’ association included an alternative route, election-duty compensation amounting to about Rs0.6 million and restoration of Fawara Chowk to Bari Imam route.

The district Nazim said these problems would be discussed with the transport authorities on Monday and all genuine grievances would be resolved. The transporters ended their strike after this assurance.