The Rawalpindi traders union has rejected the Labours Department notice to close business activities at 7:00 pm. On the recommendation of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), the Labour Department had issued a notice to the shopkeepers to end their business activities at 7:00 pm to save the energy.
The issuing of the notice was aimed to overcome loadshedding in the area. However, the traders union has rejected the notice and continued their business activities after 7:00pm.
City district Nazim Raja Javed has threatened that those traders who did not follow the government decision will be punished. He said that the Labour Department has arranged teams for holding raids on shopkeepers after 7:00pm and would fine them if the shops were opened.
The shopkeepers said that they would not allow any one to close their business through force. They said that they were ready to close their business at 8:00pm on the condition that Wapda would end the loadshedding from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. They appealed to government to withdraw the notice as soon as possible.