SUKKUR: Sukkur Municipal Commissioner Pir Wahid Bukhsh relinquished his charge amid his widely reported differences with Mayor Arsalan Islam Shaikh and Deputy Mayor Tariq Chohan over the ongoing anti-encroachment campaign in the city.

The differences came to light recently after local traders’ organisations held protest demonstrations against removal of their paraphernalia and merchandise blocking pavements and roads in the city and demolition of illegally raised structures. The mayor and deputy mayor had intervened in the matter and asked the municipal commissioner to take them into confidence before taking any action against encroachers during the campaign.

Since then, the municipal commissioner had been expressing his reservations over “interference in the municipal corporation’s official work and activities” by elected representatives of the city.

Pir Wahid Bukhsh was on Tuesday quoted as saying that he relinquished his charge on Monday and asked the competent authority in local government for some other charge.

Meanwhile, the Sukkur Municipal Corporation on Tuesday launched a cleanliness campaign under the ‘Clean and green Sukkur’ theme.

The initiative was inaugurated by Mayor Shaikh and Deputy Mayor Chohan along with Deputy Commissioner Rahim Bukhsh Maitlo.

A ceremony to this effect was attended by several senior political figures of the city as well as people from a cross section of society.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017