SWABI, Dec 11: Union council Nazims and councillors said on Monday that they had foiled an attempt to shift machinery from the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate (GAIE).

They said two trucks laden with the machinery had been stopped in the Gadoon Estate Bazaar and sent back to the industry.

Nazims Ghulam Hasan, Ishfaq Khan and Zahir Shah and councillors informed the district coordination officer about the incident and alleged that district Nazim Sher Zaman Sher had given a permit to the industry owner, who wanted to shift Gadoon Estate by shifting the machinery to Dara Adamkhel.

The “exempted permit”, issued to the industry owner from the district Nazim office bearing the Nazim’s signature, says: “Mr Sufi, son of Abdul Qayyum, resident of Mardan, is allowed to shift the two trucks scrap from M/S Usman Petro Chemical Products (Pvt) Limited Gadoon Amazai. This permit is valid for seven days with effect from Dec 9 to Dec 15, 2001.”

However, the union council Nazims said that the entrepreneur had hidden the machinery in the scrap and the loaded trucks had been going to Dara Adamkhel, but they had stopped them. They asked how the Nazim could have issued the permit on Dec 9 (Sunday) when his office remained closed.