Hundreds of vehicles were stuck on the city’s Ring Road and joining arteries on Monday, as transport owners’ carried out sit-ins against high toll fares at the Babu Sabu Interchange and Shahdara, reports a local media outlet.
The protest, arranged by the Pakistan Mini Mazda Association, began in the early hours of Monday. The transport owners joined the protest with heavy vehicles, including trailers, mini-trucks and trucks, and blocked the roads both at the Babu Sabu Interchange and Shahdara.
The traffic was badly affected by the closure of the roads at the two major entry/exit points of Lahore, throughout the day. Vehicles entering the city were seen stuck in the long queues around the protest site. Ambulances also faced the same issue there as they failed to reach hospitals on time.
The government has recently allowed unprecedented hike in toll, setting aside concerns of the transport owners who have to frequent the roads.
The protesters held the Punjab government responsible for the state of affairs of the country and staged sit-ins on the road.
Addressing the protest rally, the representatives of the Pakistan Mini Mazda Association said that earlier, the fee for a truck to make an entry to the Ring Road was Rs30 which has now increased to Rs70. The toll fee for a car was Rs10 which went up to Rs35, “showing the scale of the government’s apathy towards the general public.”