GUJRAT: The opposition friends group of Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has termed the move of seeking applications for allotment of industrial plots in phase II of the industrial estate area an attempt to exploit voters ahead of the scheduled elections of the executive body of the chamber.

Friends group Chairman Afzal Gondal while talking to reporters said at a time when the election campaign was in full swing by both rival groups, the announcement by the chamber president seeking applications for allotment of plots was nothing but a political stunt. He called it pre-poll rigging.

He said the site plan was yet to be approved, land acquired and design infrastructure developed, but the incumbent leadership of the chamber had started befooling the local business community. He added that 12 years ago the local business community had not only submitted applications for allotment of plots in the second phase of the industrial area, but also deposited a hefty fee. The authorities must be asked to clarify the status of those applications first.

Gondal, who is contesting for an executive committee seat of the corporate class of the chamber, said even phase 1 of the industrial estate was in a poor condition; the water supply machine was out of order for five months besides poor sanitary conditions.

councillor held: Police on Tuesday arrested a councillor from Lalamusa, belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), for allegedly selling narcotics.

Reports said police stopped the vehicle of Syed Zia Ali Shah and found some five kilogram of hashish in it. Police arrested the suspect and registered a case with the Lalamusa City police.

Shah has been elected as a councillor of the Lalamusa Municipal Committee on the PTI ticket in the local government elections held in October last year. He is a potential candidate for the slot of Municipal Committee’s chairman from his party. He also served as the member of Kharian Tehsil Council twice in 2001 and 2005.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2016