FAISALABAD, Aug 5: The district police have planned to launch in liaison with the Excise and Taxation Department crackdown on vehicles with tinted glass and illegally designed number plates, and misuse of rented cars and motorcycles.

Special teams have been constituted to check the cars, jeeps, motorcycles, pick-ups and passenger vehicles in the city and its rural areas to take action against violators of the government instructions. Pickets will be set up in the city areas and on main highways to detect the violators against whom cases will be instituted.

People driving vehicles on open transfer letters, with tinted glass and number plates having unlawful marks and designs, and below the prescribed age will be brought to book.

District Police Officer Muhammad Amin Wains told this correspondent that complaints were pouring in the local police stations and excise and taxation office about the use of rented vehicles and those with tinted glass in suspected activities.

There were a number of complaints about driving of cars and motorcycles by under-age persons and those having no licenses, which was a serious offence, he added. The DPO said the district police had found vital information about the use of vehicles in incidents of dacoities, robberies and other heinous crimes. Therefore, he said, they had decided to launch an operation in the city and its adjoining areas to fight crime.

He said the owners of rent-a-vehicle shops had been directed to write names of their shops on the vehicles so that those could be easily identified. They had also been asked to hand over their vehicles only to those persons, who had personal guarantee and driving licenses.

DEMANDED: Various labour organizations have demanded of the Punjab government to immediately resolve the issue between powerloom workers and factory owners about their wages, duty hours and other benefits.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, labour leaders Aslam Zafar, Abdul Khaliq, Abdul Sattar, Aslam Miraj and Asif Khan said the powerloom workers had decided to stage demonstrations against the labour welfare department as all their attempts about increase in wages were foiled by the factory owners.

They criticized the police baton-charge on the protesting workers, arrest of labour leaders and registration of criminal cases against them. The labour leaders asked the district Nazim to play his role in resolving the issue through mutual understanding.

They said there were clear rules and regulations in the Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 about workers rights, but the authorities concerned were allegedly pleasing the factory owners by not implementing it.

They urged the provincial government to take notice of low wages of powerloom workers and 'indifferent' attitude of the labour welfare department in order to bridge the gap between the employees and employers.