Hundreds of industrialists and workers from the Katar Bund Road industrial zone on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration against electricity load shedding, dilapidated roads and poor sewerage system in the area.
They set tyres on fire, blocked Multan Road and demanded that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif resolve their problems.
They said the area, which houses around 150 industrial units, contributed Rs800 million to the national economy.
“The poor infrastructure has forced us to resort to protest and demand our rights,” said Mehmood Ghaznavi, the president of Katar Bund Road Industrial Association.
He said the current situation had not only affected local industrialists, it was also discouraging foreign investment.
He demanded that the chief minister declare the area an industrial estate and order steps to improve its infrastructure.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2014.