KOHAT: Permanent and temporary encroachments in bazaars have become bane of the pedestrians and car drivers due to the vacant post of tehsil officer regulations and negligence of the building control authority.

TMA enforcement officer Mohammad Vaqas told mediapersons that the business community also protected encroachers of roads in front of their shops for extra income. He blamed the building control authority for permanent encroachments by approving the maps of shopping plazas and shops without assuring parking and defining limits.

He said that the shop owners had allotted front space of their shops to the non-locals at Rs500 a day where they displayed showcases and handcarts selling fruit and vegetable, but when TMA came into action they pulled them back inside the shops.

He said that the local government department should immediately appoint tehsil officer regulations because without his signatures no action could be taken against the encroachers.

Assistant tax collection superintendent Mohammad Bashir told this scribe that due to the absence of tehsil officer regulations the tax collection was also being hampered.

PARK OPENED: The family park which was closed due to tussle between the contractor and tehsil municipal administration over payment of arrears has been opened to public after one week following mediation of the district administration.

Deputy commissioner Matiullah Khan taking notice of public complaints directed assistant commissionerAbdur Rehman to resolve the issue so that the park was opened to the families. The AC summoned both the contractor and the TMA officials and asked them to resolve their issue without shutting the park.

The contractor said that the rehabilitation of old company park was awarded to the maternal uncle of MPA Ziaullah Bangash. He said that it was sublet to him after which he completed the work and opened it to public. He alleged that the TMA officials were demanding bribe from him for approving his bills.

The administration made it clear to both the parties that they should settle the dispute without mixing it with closure of the park.

EXPLOSIVES SEIZED: Hangu police have recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ammunition from the den of a wanted terrorist in Lakhtai Banda.

District police officer, Hangu, Pir Shahab Ali told mediapersons that following a tip-off about the presence of Rafiullah on a house in Lakhtai Banda they formed a team which conducted a raid on it, but he had perhaps got wind of the action.

However, his alleged accomplice, Mohammad Zaman, was arrested from there. The seizure included two 20kg each IEDs, three mortars 82mm, two pistols and one rifle. He said that a case had been registered.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2018