KOHAT: Three persons were killed and one was injured in a clash between rival groups over a land dispute in Ghulam Banda area here on Friday.

The rival groups opened fire at each other after exchanging hot words, killing three persons on the spot.

They were identified as Tajid Hussain, Ziaullah Khan and Taj Mohammad. The injured, Mujahid Khan, was shifted to KDA divisional hospital. The Bilitang police claimed to have arrested one of the suspects involved in the firing incident.

The police registered case and began search to arrest the remaining culprits.

MAN, SON KIDNAPPED: Unknown persons allegedly kidnapped a man and his son from Jungle Khel area on Friday.

A complaint, Irfanullah, told police that, his uncle, Matiullah, and cousin, Safiullah, went missing while on way to their house in Jungle Khel area.

He said that the motorcycle they were riding was found abandoned on the Officers Training School road.

The Jungle Khel police registered case against unknown people and began investigation.

GUEST HOUSES, OFFICES SEALED: In a crackdown, the excise and taxation department staff sealed several offices of property dealers and two guest houses in KDA Town for non-payment of taxes on Friday.

The director of excise and taxation department, Tariq Masood, along with inspector, Tariq Afridi, and other staff raided the property centres and guest houses situated in front of the KDA Housing Scheme.

The raiding team demanded cash payment of taxes from the property dealers and guest houses, but they refused to do so, after which their outlets were sealed. However, no one was arrested in the crackdown.

OIL SEIZED: The police on Friday seized an oil tanker with 430 liters of crude oil from Shakardarra installations, which was being smuggled to Punjab, and arrested the driver, Sardar Khan of Ghulam Banda.

It is to mention here that theft and smuggling of crude oil from local installations and illegal gas connections has been continuing for the last many years, but the companies concerned have looked the other way.

Bilitang police SHO Hayat Khan said smuggling of crude oil could not be carried out without the connivance of insiders in the relevant companies.

Similarly, the SNGPL has not gone beyond only issuing warnings to the people for having illegal gas connections in Shakardarra bazaar.

LOADSHEDDING: Unannounced loadshedding is continuing in the district despite deadline given by local MPA Ziaullah Bangash to Pesco asking it to carry out outages according to schedule.

The lawmaker, a few days ago, had got registered a case against the executive engineer of Pesco, Kohat, for subjecting people to excessive power outages and sending inflated bills on his own.

He had given ten days to Pesco to mend its ways or people would not pay bills. But, the no action has been taken against the officials involved in cutting electricity supply to several areas on their own.

On Friday, the people reiterated their warning that if the outages didn’t end, they would not pay their bills.

Meanwhile, residents of Mohallah Parachagan, Pir Abdullah Shah Mohallah and Hangu road burnt tyres to protest against Pesco for not repairing the damaged transformers.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2014