BAHAWALPUR Hundreds of angry outdoor patients of Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) blocked Circular Road for hours in protest against the doctors who were on strike for the second consecutive day on Saturday for acceptance of their demands. 

BVH doctors are on strike for restoration of their hard area allowance. The protesting doctors, who took out a rally and staged a sit-in outside Quaid-e-Azam Medical College (QAMC), left all wards deserted. With the passage of time outdoor patients lost patience and raised slogans against the 'insensitive' doctors. 

As this initial protest failed to bring doctors back to the hospital, the patients took to Circular Road and disrupted the traffic for hours. Later, BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Altaf Malik made alternative arrangements for the outdoor patients. 

QAMC Principal Syed Ijaz Shah Bokhari told Dawn on telephone that the allowance had not been withdrawn. He said at the moment he was present in the casualty department of the hospital where doctors were performing their duties. 

LAND RETRIEVED The district revenue department on Friday retrieved 65 acres of state land worth Rs1 billion from influential occupants. 

The revenue department launched an operation to evict the illegal occupants from the land located near the city.

Executive District Officer for Revenue Dr Nasir Bashir said 50 acres of the retrieved land had been earmarked for the planned district headquarters hospital. 

MINISTER The Punjab Public Service Commission should include postgraduates in Seraiki subject from the Islamia University Bahawalpur in its list of candidates, says Punjab Minister for Special Education Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.

He was attending a meeting of local lawmakers with Punjab Secretary for Higher Education Ahad Cheema here on Friday.

 
The secretary examined lawmakers' proposals on upgradation of the engineering college to an engineering university, a women's university, an intermediate college in Mubarakpur, an agriculture college and upgradation of a library.