SWABI: The traders closed markets and blocked roads on Monday in protest against the Swabi Tehsil Municipal Administration for its failure to send the fire tenders to put out a fire that erupted in a business centre here the other day.

They demanded transfer of the tehsil municipal officer.

During the protest called by Anjuman-i-Tajiran, all markets remained closed.

The enraged traders gathered at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk and closed it traffic for four hours, while shouting slogans against TMA and its staff.

The protesters said the relevant TMA officials did not attend the repeated calls made by traders after the trade centre caught fire. They held the TMO responsible for the entire mess.

“The TMO should have ensured the presence of the fire vehicle’s driver round-the-clock,” said Laiq Khan, a trader.

The protesters said that goods and equipment worth millions of rupees were reduced to ashes in the fire.

Addressing the protesters, city traders’ union president Yasir Khan said that the TMO should be immediately transferred. He alleged that TMA employees had failed to deliver.

The district administration officials held negotiations with the leaders of the traders, assuring them that the issue would be investigated.

Meanwhile, the Swabi TMO has suspended the staff of the fire brigade wing for ‘showing complete negligence and carelessness’, according to an order.

It said that the fire tenders of TMA Razaar and Rescue 1122 teams arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control, but the TMA Swabi fire brigade, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, should have arrived first since it was an emergency, the order said.

The TMO ordered a probe, appointing the tehsil officer infrastructure and services as inquiry officer with directions to complete it within seven days.

Payment of salaries to the relevant staff would also remain suspended till completion of the inquiry.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025