KOHAT: Civil society activists have demanded exemption from toll tax for the people living within the 15-kilometre radius of the Kohat Friendship Tunnel.

The demand was made by Zahid Hussain Inqilabi, chairman of Sada-i-Kohat, a local welfare body, and other office-bearers during a meeting with deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud on Friday.

They also demanded repair of the exhaust system and lights inside the tunnel. They said the residents of Kohat city, Darra Adamkhel, KDA Town, and Nusratkhel, Dhoda, Bilitang, Khamatu and Togh Bala towns should be exempted from the toll tax.

They argued that according to law the population living within 15 kilometre radius of the tunnel was exempted from the toll tax. They said sometimes traders from Darra had to visit Kohat twice or thrice a day to buy vegetables and groceries, and they had to pay toll tax each time.

The civil society activists said atmosphere inside the tunnel had become suffocating due to a faulty exhaust system. They said majority of fans were also dysfunctional.

Deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud assured the activists that he would talk to the relevant quarters on the issues raised by them.

Separately, the departments concerned have been directed to coordinate measures to control spread of dengue in the Kohat district.

Chairing a meeting on Friday, additional deputy commissioner Bashir Ahmed asked the district health officer, the district emergency officer, Rescue 1122 and all TMAs to conduct fumigation in the affected areas and launch an awareness campaign to tell people how to protect themselves from dengue.

MILK SUPPLIERS FINED: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety Halal Food Authority officials seized six tankers supplying adulterated milk to Kohat and Peshawar on the Indus Highway and fined them Rs240,000 on Friday.

The staff of the livestock department tested the milk in the mobile laboratory and found it adulterated.

Similarly, the authority’s officials fined traders for selling adulterated milk.

In another development, the two-day under 16 cricket trials ended at the Kohat stadium on Friday.

The trials were held among different school teams under the supervision of Pakistan Cricket Board coach Shehzad Akbar, regional sports officer Sikandar Shah and district education officer Abdul Salam Marwat.

The PCB coach said the board would select the regional teams to play at the provincial and national levels.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2021