KOHAT: The jurisdiction dispute between the cantonment board and the Water and Sanitation Services Company, Kohat, has become a permanent nuisance for the shopkeepers of a key commercial centre in the city as its main drain remains choked, emitting unbearable stink for want of cleaning.

The main drain of the centre always remains blocked with filth. The sweepers of the plaza who work for shopkeepers also put all garbage in the drain in the evening, but there is no mechanism to remove it.

Haji Bashir, who has hired four shops in the plaza, regretted that the basic duty of the both the civic agencies was to keep their respective areas clean, but to no avail.

The shops in the five-storey plaza were auctioned many years ago by the tehsil municipal administration which earned millions of rupees as monthly rent from the business community, but when it came to sanitation it skipped its duty and held WSSC responsible for it.

Whereas now the WSSC is asking the cantonment board to clean the road and the drain as the area outside the plaza was within its jurisdiction.

WSSC sanitation inspector Mohammad Sohail was not available for comments despite several phone calls. However, a TMA’s former encroachment officer told Dawn that cleaning the main drain of the plaza was the responsibility of TMA, but its whole set-up had been handed over to WSSC in 2017.

He said interestingly the cantonment officials collected daily rent from a juice seller who had set up a kiosk on the main drain of TMA-operated plaza, but never cleaned it.

ILLEGAL BUS STANDS: The operation of several bus stands and entry of trucks in the main city continues unabated despite a years-long ban, thus causing traffic congestion in the urban area.

There exist three bus stands in the narrow chicken market and two outside the Tehsil Gate in Bazaar-i-Mustafa, which is troubling for the people.

Similarly, there was ban on entry of trucks in the city, especially in the grocery market before 6pm, but huge vehicles freely enter, creating traffic mess.

Regional Transport Authority secretary Abdul Hadi, when contacted, told Dawn that the authority had set rules by calling a joint meeting of traffic police, motor vehicle examiners, transporters and bus stand managers, reminding them from time to time to avoid violation of rules.

He said the basic responsibility of RTA was to look after bus stands, check vehicles’ registration and facilities for passengers.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2019