FAISALABAD, Sept 23: The city district assembly on Saturday approved the imposition of toll on various roads for further six months amid uproar and strong protest by union council nazims of various localities.

The district assembly session, with Amjad Yasin in the chair, soon turned into chaos when nazims rose from their seats after the convener asked the excise and taxation officer to read out the paper carrying toll rates.

City District Nazim Rana Zahid Tauseef and scores of nazims and members elected on special seats attended the meeting.

Union council nazims Fayyazul Hassan Gujjar, Tahir Rasheed, Abdul Hafeez, Riaz Kamoka, Rana Moon and others raised their voices against the toll and termed it an exploitation.

They said the house approved the toll despite the promise made by the district nazim for its elimination some four months ago.

If urban areas were free from such taxes inhabitants of rural areas should not be asked to pay these taxes as well, they said.

Nazims said that a committee had been formed for auctioning of toll after the approval of the house, but the bureaucracy never bothered to call even a single member of this house in meetings held in this regard.

They said the fate of the district would not change after six months as perceived because toll collectors, with the collaboration of government officers, would move court for stay orders.

In the course of pandemonium, the convener gave ruling for the enforcement of toll for six months.

Addressing the house, the district nazim said that he was also not in favour of the toll. Presently, we could not eliminate it straight away because we had to adopt formalities laid down by authorities. He pledged that the district would be free from toll by January 2007.

The house also approved the advertisement rates and enforcement of annual commercial fee.