KOHAT: Realtors on Wednesday rejected the ‘unjustified’ 12 to 15 per cent tax imposed on transfer of houses and plots, and demanded its withdrawal.

They made the demand at a meeting chaired by former Kohat district nazim Gohar Saifullah.

The participants said the property business had been affected by the imposition of tax. They said poor people could not afford paying huge taxes on houses bought from their lifetime savings. They said people had purchased plots to construct houses but the government had imposed a yearly tax on them.

They alleged staff at the delivery centre opened by the deputy commissioner demanded Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 from the people for just correcting their names.

On the occasion, Gohar Saifullah said such tax in other provinces was only two per cent.

HOSPITAL RECONSTRUCTION: Social and political circles have resented delay in reconstruction of the Liaquat Memorial Hospital (LMH).

They also demanded provision of necessary machinery and specialised doctors in the KDA Teaching Hospital.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, chairman of Karwan-i-Kohat Saeed Akhtar said the LMH should be rebuilt with oil and gas royalty funds lying with the deputy commissioner.

He regretted that KDA Teaching Hospital lacked a burns centre, MRI, CT Scan and other specialised facilities.

He said the PTI lawmakers had been promising these facilities since 2016, but to no avail.

He said reconstruction work on LMH was inaugurated by former chief minister Pervez Khattak in 2018, but the work had hit snags.

SEALED: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority officials on Wednesday sealed a production plant of a bakery and spices shops for unhygienic conditions and adulteration.

The action was taken on the directives of the authority’s deputy director Asad Qasim.

A shopkeeper was also fined heavily for using cloth dyeing colour in spices.

Many businesses were geo-tagged and licences were issued to some shopkeepers, which met food safety standards.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2022