OKARA: The row between PPP district president Ashraf Khan Sohna and Tehsil Municipal Administration head intensified on Tuesday as TMA staff and sanitary workers went on a strike in support of their boss, while three lawyers filed a petition for registration of a case against the officials involved in dumping garbage on city roads.

Citizens were ultimate losers in this ‘tug of war’ as city roads and drains were left dirty by the striking sanitary workers.

The main link between the city and District Complex, the 110-foot wide one-way M A Jinnah Road, was still blocked for traffic because of the heap of garbage dumped in front of Mr Sohna’s filling station on Monday, allegedly at the behest of TMA Administrator Farid Ahmad, following exchange of words between the two.

Lawyers seek case against administrator, 50 others for blocking road

Though the hand-pushed garbage carts which were left by the TMA workers at MCB Chowk were removed, the solid waste that was dumped there was still lying at the intersection, some 200 feet away from Mr Sohna’s house.

District Coordination Officer Kaiser Saleem was in Lahore to attend a scheduled meeting, while the TMA administrator remained in his office.

The TMA staff had also established a protest sit-in camp in their office’s front lawn to show solidarity with their boss, displaying banners inscribed with slogans against the PPP leader, using rough language.

Meanwhile, the administrator himself and a sanitary worker, Shakil Bilouri Mashi, filed separate applications seeking registration of a case against Mr Sohna.

Similarly, three members of the District Bar Association -- Rana Muhammad Shakil Sulehria, Malik Afzal Watto and Rana Muhammad Ejaz Sulehria -- filed a writ petition through their counsel Izharul Haq Toor in the court of Additional Session Judge Syed Azhar Ali Jafri seeking registration of a case against TMA administrator and 50 unidentified people for blocking MA Jinnah Road and causing inconvenience to them.

The court issued notice to city A-division SHO for April 22 (today), asking him to submit a report on the incident in the court.

A petitioner, Advocate Rana Shakil, said the plea was against abuse of power, use of unethical language and hurling threats at the petitioners by the TMA administrator.

An eight-member religious body comprising leaders of four sects -- Zafarullah Qamar Lakhvi and Shafique Sheikh of Jamiat Ahlehadith, Haji Ahsanul Haq and Haji Safder of JUI-F, Dr Afzaal and Syed Kasur Ali Shah representing Shia community and Hafiz Husnain Raza and Habibullah Chorahi of Ahle Sunnat -- demanded high-ups should take immediate notice of the ugly situation to resolve the issue.

The Markazi Anjuman Tajran president Saleem Sadiq told Dawn that city traders condemned the TMA act of garbage dumping. However, he said, the office-bearers of the body would “remain neutral”.

Mr Sohna told this correspondent in the evening that some market committee workers had started removing the garbage thrown in front of his filing station.

He said a sit-in camp would be established on Tuesday (today) at Gole Chowk against the TMA administrator.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2015

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