Lahore (October 17, 2017): Farmers again staged sit-in on Multan Road for acceptance of their demands. The protest led to worst traffic jam on many roads of the provincial metropolis.
The protest called has been given by Pakistan Kisan Ittehad. A large numbers of farmers are attending the protest due to which worst traffic jam is being observed on Multan Road , Thokar Niaz Baig and other arteries of the provincial metropolis.
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The farmers are demanding the government to announced uniform power tariff for tube wells both for day and night timings. They are also demanding that the support price of cotton should be fixed at Rs 3500 per maund.
Another demands of the farmers is that no sugar mills should be shifted from South Punjab to any parts of the province.
It is to be mentioned here that Lahore High Court had ordered the transfer of the sugar mills from Bahwalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Muzaffargarh to central Punjab districts where the units were originally established. Mills are owned by ruling Sharif family.
Protesting farmers are demanding the mills should not be transferred from their area for at least this crushing season. Sugar mills in the country will start crushing in next month.
“Who will purchase our sugarcane crop sown over thousands of acre if mills remain close this season?” said Chaudhary Anwar, the chairman of the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Pakistan (PKI). He pointed out the already shortage of crushing units in southern Punjab to meet the demand of sugarcane growers.
The PKI leaders have threatened that if their demands are not met they will stage sit-in outside Punjab Assembly and will proceed towards the legislature.
Upon the PKI threats to stage sit-in outside Assembly, the district administration moved into action and sent shipping containers outside Punjab Assembly on The Mall which also worsen the traffic woes.
The roadblocks caused traffic jumbles at Thokar Niaz Baig Chowk and on the Multan Road and Canal Road
Traffic from Sahiwal, Okara, Khanewal and other districts of southern side of the country enters Lahore from the blocked highways side.
Since, the city traffic police officers blocked the main highways, it later started diverting the traffic flow towards alternative routes.
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