GUJRAT: The district government has decided to shift the oldest fruit market out of the city while fruit traders have been given a one-week time to decide the site of their own or else the market will be established adjacent to the vegetable market along GT Road bypass near Mararrian.

A meeting was held between district officials and fruit market traders at the District Government Complex with DCO Liaquat Ali Chatha in the chair while District Officer (Coordination) Shuja Qutab Bhatti, Assistant Commissioner Iqbal Mazhar and traders union president Hafiz Azizur Rehman were also present.

The DCO told fruit market traders association to either shift the market close to a new vegetable market or choose the site near the Hariyewala grain market.

He said both venues were located along GT Road bypass since the old fruit market was not only creating traffic mess but also causing a great deal of inconvenience to citizens.

He said the local government wanted to revamp the sewerage and drainage system of the city but the fruit market right on the bank of the Kalara drainage was a major hurdle as the rotted fruit often choked the drainage system.

Both the administration and the traders association have agreed on signing a memorandum of understanding on the subject next week when traders will decide the site, he added.

TRACED: Police claim to have traced a blind murder case of a youth as husband of the deceased man’s sister has turned out to be the alleged culprit and has been arrested.

District Police Officer Rai Ijaz Ahmed told reporters that Usman had been kidnapped from Kalara Punawan village of Larri Adda police limits on Oct 20, 2014. Later, the kidnappers had killed him with a sharp-edged knife near Manu Chak canal in Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin district.

The DPO said the police traced and arrested the main accused, Shafqat, also a resident of Rehmanpura, Gujrat, who was the husband of Usman’s sister. He said the police also recovered the knife used in the murder.

He announced commendation certificates and cash prizes for the police team.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2014