GUJRANWALA, Oct 4: Woollen hosiery traders protested against the government for failing to control the hosiery smuggling through tribal areas and giving incentives to local industry.

The hosiery market traders said at a meeting here on Monday the government failure had brought the local market at the brink of disaster. They claimed that 200,000 people, including traders and workers, would be rendered jobless if the government failed to take any concrete step.

Provincial Food Minister Chaudhry Iqbal and city Nazim Babu Javed Ahmad, who were guests at meeting, assured them that the government would adopt solid steps to boost the local market besides eliminating smuggling.

EDUCATION: The district government will construct the buildings of 74 schools besides providing office furniture to 132 primary, 40 secondary and seven elementary schools under the education sector reforms programme.

An education department spokesmen said about 578 primary and middle schools' buildings would be constructed besides the boundary wall of 70 schools and washrooms in 144 schools under this programme. He said the Punjab government had allocated Rs147 million for the purpose and the project would start soon.

POLLS' BOYCOTT: Residents of PP-93 constituency announced boycott of by-election in protest against elected representatives' failure to resolve their problems like construction of streets and drains, etc.

At a meeting here on Monday they resented that political parties made tall claims during election campaigns and after winning elections, none of them came to their localities even to thank them. They decided that residents of two union councils, 96/60 and 94/58 would not vote in Oct 11 by-election.