GUJRANWALA: A large number of workers blocked on Thursday GT Road and besieged the office of the district administration in protest against sealing of about 400 gas cylinder manufacturing factories.

The protesters demanded that factories be unsealed instantly to save them from starvation.

The protesters blocked the thoroughfare and assembled outside the office of district coordination officer. They chanted slogan against the government and alleged that about 150,000 factory workers across the division were being deprived of their livelihood following sealing the factories on the pretext of manufacturing substandard gas cylinders.

Dawn learnt that around 500 factories were manufacturing gas cylinders in the city while raiding teams of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and the district administration sealed about 400 of them on charges of manufacturing substandard cylinders during the last 24 hours.

Some leaders of protesters held a meeting withDCO Muhammad Amir Jan at his office and demanded that the units be unsealed instantly as 15,000 workers had lost their employment in the city. But the DCO reportedly refused to accept their demand, saying that factory owners were playing with lives of people as many individuals were killed in cylinder blasts.

The protesters also went to the residence of Federal Trade Minister Khuram Dastgir in connection with their demand.

The protesters have threatened that they will protest outside Punjab Assembly in Lahore during next phase of the protest if factories were not unsealed.

BANKER HELD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested on Thursday a bank manager along with his accomplice in an alleged fraud case of Rs10 million and had a case registered against them.

FIA Deputy Director Khalid Anees said UBL Garjakh Prince Road branch manager Sheikh Bilal and his accomplice Muhammad Yasin were allegedly involved in the Rs10 million fraud. After probe, both were found guilty. The manager was arreste d at Gujranwala and his accomplice at Sialkot.

He said the case had been registered against them under sections 409, 420, 468, 471 and RW(2)47PCA.