October 10, 2002	Thursday	Sha’aban 3, 1423

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HARIPUR, Oct 9: As many as 300 vehicles were impounded by the local police for election duties causing great inconvenience to the commuters travelling on different city routes here on Wednesday.

As a part of Thursday’s election process the local police have been given the task of carrying the polling staff to and fro the different 396 polling stations set up in the district. There were 2,895 officials from govt and semi-govt departments who were conducting the election in the district.

The drivers of the public transport vehicles including wagons, coaches, Datsun & Suzuki pick-ups were asked to take their vehicles to Elementary College ground where their documents were forcibly taken by the local police. This exercise of haunting vehicles was going on for the last two days.

“We have to achieve the target of bringing 300 vehicles what comes may”, said a traffic cop when his attention was drawn towards the problem being faced by the commuters.

The people who wanted to take their ailing near ones to hospitals particularly Islamabad & Abbottabad were seen arranging private taxies at double rents.”I don,t care how much they charge today but the problem is that how early I manage to take my ailing son to doctor” said Khanzada Khan a villager who had spent over two hours waiting for an Islamabad bound wagon but failed.

Commuters talking to Dawn criticized the administration for impounding public transport creating difficulties for the passengers who could not afford to go to the desired destination by a private taxi.

A passenger who came from Islamabad while narrating the ordeal he suffered said that he along with two female members of his family embarked on a Haripur bound Hiace and when their vehicle reached near Taxila bypass they were forced by the police to get down from the vehicle. The staff also misbehaved with the lady passengers who were not ready to get down from the vehicle.