DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two children were killed as a fire swept through the upper floor of their house in Mohallah Khidmatgaran Wala here on Monday.

A Rescue 1122 official told reporters that a girl and a boy were charred to death after being trapped in the house.

He said the other residents were unharmed.

The official said the fire was controlled by locals.

LEAVES CANCELLED: Rescue 1122 has cancelled the leaves of all employees for handling emergencies during Eid days.

The development came during a meeting chaired by district emergency officer Awais Babar here on Monday.

The participants examined preparations for the execution of the Eid emergency response plan.

Mr Babar said Rescue 1122 teams with ambulances, fire extinguishers, and emergency equipment on their disposal would be deputed to all stations of Dera Ismail Khan Division.

“Our teams will stay alert round the clock for quick response to any emergency during Eid days,” he said.

The official asked residents to approach the help of Rescue 1122 in case of emergency.

MOCK EXERCISE: The police held a mock security drill and a training session for the personnel of the central jail here on Monday.

A spokesman for the police said the exercise ordered by DPO Nasir Mahmood and supervised by SP Arshad Khan was meant to improve the jail personnel’s weapon knowledge and handling skills for an effective response to any untoward incident.

SP Arshad said jail personnel should stay vigilant amid security concerns.

TRANSPORTED WARNED: The administration of Tank district has warned public transporters against overcharging commuters ahead of Eidul Fitr.

With the post-Ramazan festival just a day or two days away, people are taking private buses and vans to reach their hometowns to celebrate Eid with families.

The district administration said it had begun a crackdown on transporters not following the notified fares.

Assistant commissioner of Tank Aminullah Khan and traffic warden Saaduddin visited bus terminals and asked commuters about the fares collected from them.

They fined several bus and van drivers for overcharging passengers and made them return the extra fare charged.

The officials warned all transporters of strict action over violations of the official fare list.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2024