KOHAT: The district administration on Saturday imposed over Rs150,000 fi ne on owners of several fi lling stations for creating artifi cial shortage of petrol after the government announced a big cut in the prices of petroleum products.

A press release issued from the offi ce of the deputy commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud stated that after receiving such reports a team headed by assistant commissioner Mohammad Ali Asghar was formed to check the availability of petrol at the pumps. The team found that Nasrat Khel, Tappi, Mukltanmiz, Togh Bala, Garrison and Hangu road petrol pumps were found guilty of not providing commodity to the people. The owners were cumulatively fi ned Rs152,000 and asked to operate the pumps, or face action.

ARRESTED: The district police have arrested more than 100 people for illegally letting or hiring houses during past months and thus violating a government decree issued after the arrival of a large number of IDPs in the Kohat district.

DPO Saleem Marwat told reporters on Saturday the 130 people were arrested and sent to prison for either illegally staying or letting houses to suspicious people without proper documentation.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd , 2014