PESHAWAR, July 23: Proprietors of three filling stations in the provincial capital have filed contempt of court applications in the Peshawar High Court, charging the director-general of City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) of violating a court’s order.

The high court had directed the CDMD not to demolish the three filling station during the ongoing GT Road expansion project till next order. After the court’s order the CDMD stopped demolition of the filling stations, but it dug trenches around the stations, which make the entry of vehicle in the stations impossible.

The applications were filed by barrister Masood Kausar on behalf of Mughal, Modern and Abaseen filling station, situated on GT Road inside Peshawar. The high court had issued the stay orders in favour of the filling stations on July 16 and 17.

During the road expansion project the city administration has been demolishing those portions of different buildings, which it considered hurdle in expansion of the GT Road and construction of service roads along side the GT Road. Portions of a number of hotels, commercial plazas, residential buildings have  been partially demolished till now.

The petitioners stated that the director-general of the CDMD, Malik Saad had been considering himself above the law and constantly violating the court’s order. They stated that the act of the DG of digging ditches around the stations was aimed at frustrating the court’s order.

The petitioners contended that they had been running these filling stations for the last many decades. They added that earlier the administration had asked them to provide about 10 feet area for the expansion of the road, on which they had agreed. But all of a sudden, they added, the government started demolishing filling stations without any prior notice.

The petitioner stated that they were given the said land on lease and the lease period would expire in the year 2017. They added that in case of demolition of the filling stations they would suffer irreparable loss.