KOHAT: The Kohat tehsil municipal administration has been accused of failing to provide the required facilities at the wholesale fruit and vegetable market here despite receiving huge rents from the shopkeepers.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, Sharifullah Bangash, the president of the wholesalers association, said the traders cumulatively were paying Rs800,000 rent per month to the tehsil municipal administration.

He lamented that despite receiving huge taxes the civic body had failed to provide latrines, water supply, construct a boundary wall, a police post and provide electricity to the market.

He termed the levy of tax on rickshaws, pickups and trucks entering the market as uncalled-for.

Mr Bangash alleged that the shops at the fruit market had been ‘distributed’ among the blue-eyed people at a rate of only Rs300,000 against the actual price of Rs500,000 in 2013 in a bid to fail a private market and attract the commission agents.

He demanded that shops occupied by irrelevant people should be cancelled and awarded to the real fruit and vegetable vendors at the government rate. Faizullah, a wholesale dealer, and others claimed that buyers making a purchase of Rs200 were forced to pay Rs40 tax.

When contacted, tehsil municipal officer Mohammad Shoeb said the tax on vehicles entering the market was imposed under rules, and as per the decision taken by a constituent committee in October 2020.

He said a contract in this regard had been awarded to a party. He added entry fee for trucks and trailers had been fixed at Rs250 per day. And a loader van (Shahzore) is to pay Rs150 and rickshaw Rs50 per day, respectively, he added.

Mr Shoeb said a handcart owner paid Rs50 per day, adding Rs700 had been fixed as market fee per annum.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2021