OKARA: Visitors to the Okara District Complex continue to face inconvenience as all the access routes have been barricaded despite repeated requests by people to remove them.

The road has been blocked at five points by police on the order of the district administration for the last many years. Cement blocks have been placed at two points at Benazir Avenue and at another place, and one gate leading to the Deputy Commissioner Office and one at the eastern side of a school have been locked.

The complex houses the offices of the deputy commissioner, sessions and civil courts, District Police Complex, public health, Lesco, excise and taxation, livestock, agriculture, tehsildar, arts council hall, labour department and civil defence. Chambers of lawyers are also in the complex where an estimated 20,000 people daily visit.

In the city master plan, a provision for approach roads to these offices was envisaged. The district administration blocked two roads at Benazir Avenue, one adjacent to the boundary wall of the Met office and another adjacent to the boundary wall of the agriculture department and some other points five years ago.

The main parking area was blocked in 2008 by the then district coordination officer, Ali Jan Khan, and it is still not in use forcing people visiting the district and civil courts, the office of deputy commissioner and lawyers to park their vehicles at the main road.

At present, one entrance is used by hundreds of visitors to the district complex offices. Repeated requests by people, especially lawyers, to open other gates have fallen on deaf ears.

Speaking to Dawn, senior lawyers including Ghulam Mustafa Sadiq, Tayyab Chaudhry and Sheikh Asif Ishtiaq demanded that the two gates situated at Benazir Avenue be opened.

“People who have to visit the offices of livestock, agriculture, Lesco, excise and taxation, health and buildings department will have a direct approach to these offices that will save time,” said a lawyer.

He also demanded that the roads at the DPS intersection and DPS girls section eastern side should be opened.

The Supreme Court had recently declared such measures at many places in Lahore illegal after which the authorities removed barriers and cement blocks from offices and residences of top functionaries.

MISCONDUCT: A guard allegedly locked the school main gate when the headmistress refused to grant him leave at Jallanwali village near Mandi Ahmedabad.

Muhammad Akram, a guard at the Government Girls Primary School, is allegedly involved in electricity theft and demanded leave to avoid arrest.

Headmistress Shama declined his request over which Akram locked the main gate and did not allow the students and teachers to enter. Afzal, Wazeeran Bibi and three other people armed with clubs helped Akram scare the students away.

A team of Mandi Ahmedabad police opened the gate.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2018