FAISALABAD, March 20: Enraged protesters thrashed two motorists in the presence of police near Korian Bridge on Samundri Road during a demonstration against unscheduled power outages here on Tuesday.
A large number of powerloom workers fed up with hours long electricity loadshedding turned up on Samundri Road and blocked traffic on the busiest thoroughfare for about two hours.
The protesters vent their ire against the loadshedding by subjecting two car riders to severe torture. The motorists had tried to cross their vehicles from middle of the protest that enraged the workers. The motorists whipped out pistols and resorted to aerial firing to frighten the attackers. During aerial firing the protesters moved backward, however, car riders again came under attack when the police overpowered them and seized their pistols.
One of the motorists jumped into a nearby canal to avert wrath of the protesters. The police rescued him and shifted him to some safe place. The protesters also damaged his vehicle.
The protesters set ablaze tyres and chanted slogans against Faisalabad Electric Supply Company and the federal government.
The police baton-charged the protesters in a bid to avert further damage to public and private property. However, the furious demonstrators pelted the police with stones as a result an inspector identified as Hafiz Irfan suffered injuries.
Small protest demonstrations were also staged in different parts of the city including Jhang Road, Ghulam Mohammad, Canal Road and Khurrianwala.
Talking to reporters, the protesters said power suspension had made their lives miserable while the federal government did nothing to overcome the energy crisis. They said owing to the crisis, a number of workers had lost their jobs. They threatened to launch a protest movement with the help of workers of other areas if the government did not manage the unscheduled outages.
Police managed to disperse protesters assuring them that Fesco officials would be asked for smooth supply of electricity.
Meanwhile, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Muzamal Sultan also expressed grave concern over the excessive power outages and demanded its immediate solution.
GUJRANWALA: Local industrial labourers protested against loadshedding, blocking GT Road and smashing windowpanes of four vehicles.
The third-largest industrial district of the province is facing 16-hour daily loadshedding in its urban areas and 20-hour outages in rural parts. These power cuts have stopped production in a large number of big and small industrial units, rendering thousands of daily-wagers jobless.
Forced by prolonged outages, industrial labourers gathered near Summanabad Chungi, blocked the road and set used tires on fire.
They chanted slogans against the government, while some of them started attacking passing by vehicles smashing windowpanes of four of them.
They demanded that the government should immediately overcome the power crisis to save the industry from total collapse and families of daily wagers from starvation.
A police contingent reaching the spot dispersed the protesters after resorting to light baton-charge.
Meanwhile, Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Malik Zahirul Haq expressed solidarity with the protesters and warned the government if it failed to improve the situation it would have to face country-wide reaction.
Speaking to a labourers’ delegation in his office, he said industrial progress depended on uninterrupted power supply but the government failed to overcome the crisis.
The GCCI president declared the water and power minister responsible for the crisis and demanded his immediate resignation.
He also urged the Wapda labour union to join hands with the industrialists and labourers in their struggle.
GCCI vice-presidents Mian Salahuddin and Noman Salahuddin were also present.
TOBA TEK SINGH: Kamalia powerloom owners and workers took out a protest procession here over prolonged and unscheduled outages.
The rally started from factory area in Khalid Colony and after marching through various roads reached Fesco Complex where their representatives led by Powerloom Workers Association President Muhammad Arshad met Executive Engineer Nazar Muhammad Dubb at his office.
Mr Dubb assured he would talk to higher authorities to declare Kamalia factory area as industrial feeder in order to exempt it from loadshedding. Later, the protesters dispersed.
SHEIKHUPURA: A large numbers of citizens, mostly students, threw traffic out of gear on Lahore-Sargodha Road for more than two hours against what they said the 18-hour unscheduled loadshedding.
They set ablaze tyres and staged a demonstration in front of Lesco (Wapda) office on Lahore-Sargodha Road.
The protesters threw stones at the Wapda building and tried to storm it but the security guards prevented the attack. The protesters also chanted slogans against the recent hike in power tariff and said they would not pay the inflated bill.