GUJRANWALA, Nov 13: Police arrested 27 people when Public transport owners threw the traffic out of gear on the GT Road in Ghakkhar town to protest against the recovery of toll tax by national highway contractor on Monday.

The NHA gave contract for recovery of toll tax to a private company. Transporters blocked the road by parking their vehicles and chanted slogans against the contractor and the NHA. They suspended the traffic for half an hour at the eastern side of the GT Road. However, motorway police reached the spot and restored the traffic with support of district police after negotiating with the owners of vehicles.

Later, police arrested 19 drivers and conductors of wagons and eight men of contractor when they clashed with each other at police station.

Meanwhile, transporters said they would file a contempt of court petition as the collection of toll was already a subjudice issue.

TEACHERS: The Punjab Teachers Union gave Nov 30 deadline to the government for accepting their demands, including payment of teaching allowance, and threatened that Muttahida Mahaz Asataza would start protest movement from December 1 if their demands were not accepted.

A meeting of the union on Monday gave approval to launch a drive against the government and reminded Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Husain to fulfill their promises regarding payment of teaching allowance and other dues to teachers.

They said their protest movement could spread across the country if their demands were not accepted.

ACCIDENT: Two passengers of a motorcycle rickshaw were killed while three others injured in an accident in Farid Town on Monday.

Eyewitnesses said a speeding truck hit the rickshaw as a result of which Barkat Ali and Noor Muhammad were killed on the spot while Muhammad Siddiq, Azam and a woman, Kubra, suffered injuries.