TOBA TEK SINGH, Oct 23: Protests continued against prolonged loadshedding and over billing in parts of the province on Thursday, with people announcing they would not pay their electricity bills.
In Toba, lawyers took out a protest rally against the loadshedding and inflated bills. The rally started from district courts complex and marched through Toba-Kamalia and Toba-Jhang roads. They held a public meeting at Clock Tower Chowk where senior lawyers announced that no lawyer would pay the electricity bills. They raised slogans against the government and burnt their electricity bills.
Separately, hundreds of people took out a protest rally in Pirmahal Town on Thursday afternoon to denounce Wapda for unscheduled loadshedding and inflated bills. The rally marched through Sadar Bazaar, Main Bazaar, Grain Market and Faisalabad-Multan Road. The protesters, carrying black flags and raising slogans against Wapda and the government, announced they would not pay the bills.
They also burnt their bills. In a related development, the Toba district council passed a unanimous resolution, demanding that the government immediately pay attention to electricity loadshedding otherwise business and agriculture would be destroyed.
In Gujrat, traders of Sargodha Road and adjoining areas observed a complete strike against the loadshedding and over billing. A protest rally was also taken out by traders. The protesters marched on GT Road, staged a demonstration in front of a Gepco office and blocked GT Road.
In Burewala, traders observed a complete strike against the loadshedding and excessive billing. They burnt tyres and blocked roads.
In Faisalabad, scores of farmers of Narwala Bangla and its adjoining areas demonstrated and threw traffic out of gear on Aminpur Bangla Road on Thursday to protest against inflated bills and persistent loadshedding.
Farmers occupying tractors and other vehicles chanted slogans against the government and set fire to tyres and the bills they received for October. They were led by Shahbaz Kissana of the PML-N.
In Hafizabad people from all walks of life continued protest against what they said over-billing.
Among the protesters were labourers of Hafizabad, who blocked the railway track and did not allow a Karachi-bound express to go pass for an hour.