KOHAT: The wholesale dealers have refused to shift to the new fruit and vegetable market, thus defying the orders of the administration for the fourth time since 2011.

Deputy commissioner Amjid Ali Khan had last week directed the dealers to shift to the new market on Bannu road as the lease of the existing Hangu road market had expired in July. He warned of strict action against those dealers who had been refusing to shift to the new market.

However, a few of the dealers have shifted to the new facility, but others are reluctant to do so citing absence of facilities there.

Meanwhile, traders said that last Monday, the deputy commissioner, despite promising to inaugurate the market, failed to turn up much to the dismay of the invited dealers and the concerned staff. He announced to inaugurate the market the next day (Tuesday), but that didn’t happen either, they added.

Similarly, the dealers have also appealed to the Supreme Court chief justice to help in recovery of their money paid as down payment in 2011, and to also direct the local administration to complete the market before asking them to shift there. They also appealed to the court to order inquiry into the alleged corruption in the execution of the project.

HOUSE LOOTED: Unknown robbers looted gold and cash from a house in Fateh Khan Khel area of Lachi tehsil on Monday night.

The Lachi police quoted Mohammad Aslam, the house owner, as saying that his family was sleeping in courtyard and when they woke up in the morning they found locks of boxes in the rooms broken. Later, they found that 11 tola gold and Rs350,000 cash were missing from the boxes. The police registered case and began investigations.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2014