Nine protest rallies paralyse City

LAHORE

Protests by employees of different departments resulted into massive traffic jams on Thursday.

Over 6,000 people staged demonstrations at nine places of the City. Traffic jams amid the scorching heat and dust blowing from the under construction route of Orange Line left the commuters high and dry on roads for several hours. Schoolchildren and their parents were also stuck on closing hours for hours. City traffic police setup diversions on different roads to maintain the flow of traffic. However, as the major roads including The Mall, Multan Road, Ferozpur Road and Jail Road were clogged, all linking arteries were also choked.

Over 2,000 sacked workers including women of Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP) gathered outside Lahore Press Club at 11 a.m and started blocking the road. They were carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands. The protesters belonging to 14 districts of the province also chanted slogans against the Punjab government and demanded immediate regularisation of their jobs. At 2 p.m, they started their rally from the Press Club and reached Club Chowk on Mall Road via Davis Road to register their protest at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. They remained peaceful but their large number resulted into traffic mess on Mall Road, Davis Road, Empress Road and Edgerton Road.

Meanwhile, a protest of locals of Railway Colony and its adjacent societies for water added fuel to the fire. The traffic going from Railway Station towards Dharampura was diverted towards Shimla Hill which also added to the load on the already blocked roads. The locals have been protesting for water for the last 10 days but there is no chance of redress for the next 15 days due to construction of the Orange Line route. The officers concerned have yet to plan alternative ways to provide water to the residents.

Over 370 young doctors of Mayo Hospital came on the road for their demands at 10:45 a.m and later reached Mall Road bringing complete halt to the traffic. The protest continued for hours. The Young Doctors on Thursday held protest demonstrations unanimously at different hospitals of the City. At least 500 young doctors came on Ferozpur Road outside General Hospital to record their protest; 150 nurses and doctors outside Lady Wallington Hospital, 200 young doctors outside children hospital and 400 young doctors from Jinnah Hospital to Canal and from PIC to Jail Road registered their strong protest. 

Yet in another incident, over 100 locals protested against Wapda at Kharak Nala, Multan Road, against the apathy of the officers concerned. The protesters were of the view the government had total failed to run its affairs. They added the top brass of the government was directly responsible for the ongoing chaos in the provincial metropolis. Lahorites said that due to excessive protest demonstrations it has become almost impossible to move in the City. Most of the roads have been closed due to the development projects while the remaining were choked due to traffic mess. People have demanded immediate solution to the growing issue of protests.