RAWALPINDI, July 27: Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has set July 31 as the deadline for eviction of tongas from the city limits, official sources told Dawn.

All owners of tongas have been directed to start plying rickshaws till the deadline, after which the TMA officials plan to launch a campaign for forcefully driving the horse-drawn vehicle out of the city, the sources added.

Tehsil Nazim Hamid Nawaz Raja said the plan had never been abandoned but only slowed down to give the poor tonga-owners time to make alternative arrangements for their livelihood.

He asked the tonga-owners to cooperate with the administration and help reduce the traffic rush in the city.

The plan has sparked panic among hundreds of tonga-owners in the city, who say the move will deprive them of their sole means of sustenance. There are about 1,500 horse-carts running on different routes and streets within the city.

The poor tonga-owners are unable to afford the motor- rickshaws that are being offered by the TMA as an alternative to their business. They cannot find buyers for their tongas either.

They have requested the higher authorities to have mercy on them. The TMA has been requested “not to dream of turning Rawalpindi into London overnight at the cost of poor tonga- owners”.