SHEIKHUPURA, Jan 21: Hundreds of residents of Ziabad Town and adjoining villages on Saturday blocked the GT Road near Kala Shah Kaku for several hours to protest discharge of toxic waste by a chemical factory.

They also besieged the Ferozewala police ASP offices later to get their leader released.

The demonstrators initially assembled on the GT Road in front of the Ittehad Chemicals and chanted slogans against the administration for blocking their passage (linking their villages with the GT Road) by discharging waste on it.

The mill management called police which arrested protest leader Lamberdar Rafique. It infuriated the protesters who reached Ferozewala and besieged the ASP’s offices, demanding lamberdar’s release.

DSP investigating Mirza Rashid met the protesters with an assurance that the old passage would be restored at the earliest. The lamberdar was also released on bail.

LAUNCHED: A modern telecommunication system has been introduced at the district level throughout the country at a cost of Rs1,500 million.

This was stated by National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) Chairman and Rear Admiral Shahid Farooq while talking to reporters after performing the inauguration ceremony of the National Telecom Exchange here on Saturday.

He told that 15 model telephone exchanges of 92 series costing Rs300 million were functioning in Punjab’s different districts, including Sheikhupura.

Mr Farooq said the local exchange, comprising 3,000 telephone lines, had been completed at a sum of Rs20 million and started functioning.

NTC general manager Shakirullah, regional director Maj Waqar Azeem (retired), director development Muhammad Arif, member technical Khalid Javaid, DE (phones) Khalid Mohiuddin and other officials were also present on the occasion.