Hostels closure, Section 144: Students, workers leave for hometowns

LAHORE:There was a big rush at the Lahore railway station, Badami Bagh, Thokar Niaz Baig and Bund Road bus stands after the Punjab government imposed Section 144 to counter the outbreak of coronavirus.

The passengers started leaving the metropolitan city as the Punjab government had imposed Section-144 for three weeks across the province to prohibit hoarding and profiteering of hand sanitisers, opening of all private and public educational institutes, marriage/banquet halls and marquees, holding of examinations, religious congregation, public gatherings and sports festivals.

After imposition of this section hostel of public colleges, universities were got vacated. The students who were residing in Lahore for studies left for their hometowns. Saeed Ahmed residing in the limits of Wahdat Colony police station who was waiting at Badami Bagh stand said, he was doing a job in a private company.

He had to stay on road of Lahore because last night, police locked hostel from outside as he came from his job he could not enter. So, he had decided to leave for his hometown in south Punjab.

Saeed complained that sanitisers were not fixed at bus stops. Muhammad Tufail, residing in Samanabad, who was waiting at City Terminal to catch the bus for Multan, complained that the bus stop authorities did not bother about fixing sanitisers at bus stands.

He said he used to run the private tuition centre over there. He had to close the centre after imposition of ban that would bring a great financial loss to him. He demanded the government compensate him for the loss.

Many people were sitting at Lahore Railway Station to leave for their hometowns. Faheem, a worker, was sitting along with his co-workers at railways station. He and his co-workers were living in a private hostel, he said. Police closed the hostel forcefully.

They had to spend whole night under open sky. Consequently, they were going to leave for their hometowns. The labourers said that the government should not have closed the hostels rather sanitisers be fixed on public places.