PESHAWAR: The Municipal Corporation of Peshawar has decided to shift cattle pens out of the provincial capital to an open place.

The development comes on the complaints of the people, a relevant official said on Thursday.

The official said the municipal corporation gave two weeks to owners to shift cattle pens out of the city to prevent crackdown.

He said administrator Syed Zafar Ali Shah called owners of the city’s all cattle pens to his office on Thursday and informed them about the decision about relocation of pens.

The official said in case the people did not relocate cattle pens, the administration would seal all of them and confiscate buffalos.

He said around 50 cattle pens were present in the city’s thickly populated areas to the misery of local population.

“We have received complaints that buffalo dung is thrown into drains and in open plots and thus, creating problems for civic bodies and people. Besides, cattle pens also pollute environment,” he said.

The official said cattle pens would be shifted to one place so that cleanliness and supply of good milk to people could be ensured.

He avoided giving details about the place where buffalos would be shifted, saying the exact location was yet to be finalised.

“The administration will extend full cooperation to cattle pen owners but they themselves should search a suitable place to work,” he said.

The official said all necessary facilities would be provided to cattle pen owners.

The main areas where most cattle pens are located include Gulberg, Gulbahar, Gujarabad, Hafizabad and Nauthia, where the people’s movement is very difficult.

The schoolchildren and women struggle to pass through the areas when buffalos are shifted from one place to another.

Also in the day, the district administration directed the relevant employees to expedite crackdown on encroachments in Peshawar.

Peshawar deputy commissioner Riaz Mehsud during a visit to different areas asked the people to remove encroachments by themselves and said the administration was fully determined to clear all roads, pavements and streets of encroachments.

He directed the relevant staff to visit the areas of Quaidabad, People’s Colony, Timergara Colony and adjacent localities and remove all illegal structures after expiry of warning notices given to the people.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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