FAISALABAD:
Textile unit owners and workers protesting against gas loadshedding attacked the Kamalpur Interchange on Motorway (M-3) and ransacked the toll booths, on Thursday. Five toll tax collectors were injured and equipment at the toll booth was damaged.
Traffic at the main entrance on Motorway (M-3) – which leads to Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and other cities located alongside M-2 – remained suspended for up to five hours as a result of the sit-in at Kamalpur Interchange.
The protesters chanted slogans against the government and Sui Gas Department, and burnt old tyres on the Faisalabad-Sargodha Road, which is one of the main roads connecting Faisalabad to Chiniot, Rabwah, Sargodha, Mianwali, Khushab etc.
The main protest rally was held in Khurarianwala, the hub of the industrial area, and was led by Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Chairman Rana Arif Tauseef.
Industrialists and workers brought out protest rallies from different industrial areas of the city including Faisalabad-Sammundri Road, Faisalabad-Jaranwala Road, Faisalabad-Jhang Road and Faisalabad-Sargodha Road.
Protesters also pelted stones and damaged private vehicles and sign boards on Satina Road, Sargodha Road and Lahore Road.
The industrialists and workers vowed that they would continue to protest on a daily basis until gas supply is restored without any interruption.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2011.
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