PESHAWAR, July 30: Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association while expressing concern over the demolition of petrol pumps in the city, has asked the government to stop the same immediately.

Addressing a news conference on Monday, the association chairman, Abdul Sami Khan said that the recent demolition campaign launched by the provincial government to widen the Grand Trunk Road had sent a shiver down the spines of the petroleum dealers across the country.

The government has so far demolished three petrol pump located on the green belt in the city.

According to him, these pumps had been demolished in sheer violation of the court’s orders.

Flanked by chairman Sarhad Petroleum Cartage Association, Malik Aurangzeb Khan, reminded that these petrol pumps had been there for several decades and the government’s claim that these were set up illegally, was misplaced.

These pumps, he said, had been paying the laid down fee to the concerned government departments and had been established there with the proper permission of the authorities.

He set aside the impression created by the government that these pumps had been operating illegally from the last 30 years, saying that they were operating from the past 44 years and had a proper lease agreement with the Communication and Works department.

According to him, the owners of these petrol pumps received letters of termination of lease by C&W department on July 15, 2,002, whereas, the pumps had been demolished six days before the issuance of these letters which showed that these had been built legally.

He said that the owners of the pumps obtained stay orders from the court which didn’t impress the authorities and they began digging around these pumps to block their sale. This, he said was done in violation of the court’s order. Khan alleged that the pump-owners were deceived by the government functionaries right from the beginning, saying that they had been asked by the authorities to furnish new designs with amendments.

Meanwhile, he deplored that the officials of the City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) came suddenly and started demolishing these pumps without giving ample notice.