KOHAT: The tussle over operation of private fruit and vegetable market in the presence of government’s one intensified after tehsil municipal administration staff ploughed the entrance of the private ‘illegal’ vegetable market and sealed it for the fifth time on Thursday.

About 2,500 wholesale dealers and labourers have been suffering due to the continuing tussle between the administration and the private owner.

The traders wanted to work in the private market which provided every facility to them compared to the government’s fruit and vegetable market which lacked basic necessities.

During the operation, supervised by tehsil officer regulations Idrees Khan and superintendent Shahid Khattak, the market’s entrance was ploughed so that trucks could not enter it.

The TMA staff and police had first demolished illegal structure of the private market in 2009 and got an affidavit from the contractor and the owner, Shehbaz Gul Shinwari, that he would not reconstruct the market.

Recently, when the private market was sealed for not furnishing the required design and fulfilling other requirements the owner opened it in a marriage hall on bypass road which was also sealed.

The president of Kohat division wholesale dealers association, Saifullah Afridi, said at a meeting that owner of the ‘illegal’ market was being supported by the provincial government because despite advertisements in newspapers and repeated demolition of his market he continued to auction the shops.

The participants demanded that the police should register cases under 14 foreign act against the Afghan refugees to discourage them from investing money in the ‘illegal’ market. The TMA has been making it clear to owner of the private market that in no district two facilities were operating, therefore, he should also wind up his ‘illegal’ market.

POULTRY FARMING: The district livestock department launched the PM’s scheme of ‘poultry farming of five hens’ for the farmers and poor people here on Thursday.

District director livestock Dr Shehwar Anwar collected forms from the widows, farmers and needy people. He said they had received 1,000 forms which were distributed without any payment.

He told the farmers that their forms would be sent to higher authorities and after their registration they would get five hens each.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2019