KOHAT: Farmers in Togh Bala and Bilitang areas here have demanded vaccination of their cattle against the fast-spreading lumpy skin disease.

In separate statements on Sunday, Togh Bala social welfare organisation chairman Inaam Khan and former Bilitang nazim Misbahuddin appealed to deputy commissioner Roshan Mehsud to send veterinary staff to the areas for cattle vaccination.

They said an awareness campaign should also be launched for the people not to purchase affected animals for sacrifice on Eidul Azha.

They said the disease had weakened the milk-giving animals affecting their production.

Inaam Khan said they had arranged a free vaccination camp in their area a few days ago, but still a large number of animals were to be vaccinated. He said the vaccine was very costly in the open market.

ROAD BLOCKED: Traffic was suspended after a truck overloaded with husk overturned on the hilly track of the old Indus Highway on Sunday.

Talking to Dawn, deputy chief traffic warden Arab Jan said often overloaded husk trucks overturned while negotiating the hilly track, blocking it for hours. He said the traffic police were fining such trucks to discourage overloading.

He said the police had written several letters to police officers of Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and Bannu to not allow overloaded husk trucks from their districts, but to no avail.

He suggested the National Highway Authority install height barriers in Karak, saying husk needed to be contained in bundles to avoid swerving of vehicles while negotiating turns on the hilly track.

He said the labourers were trying to remove the husk from the road to clear it to traffic as soon as possible.

BIKE THIEVES ARRESTED: The police on Sunday arrested the ringleader of an inter-district gang of motorcycle thieves during an action in Muslimabad area.

ASP Saddar circle Usama Ameen Cheema told reporters that SHO Jarma Javed Khan leading a team raided a den and arrested the ringleader, namely Shams, and other members of the gang, and recovered three motorcycles from them.

He said the thieves after stealing motorcycles changed their number plates and other parts and sold them in other districts at throwaway rates.

Published in Dawn,June 20th, 2022