PESHAWAR, Oct 23: A group of city transporters have threatened to go on strike from Thursday, if the traffic police ongoing drive against the unauthorised vehicles is not stopped forthwith.

The major groups of transporters organized a meeting at the General Bus Stand on Tuesday evening. They criticized DIG traffic for his campaign against the transporters, who were running buses and coaches without any route permits and other valid documents.

They said they would observe a complete wheel-jam on Thursday to denounce the traffic police atrocities.

The local mini-bus, Ford wagon and bus owners have also asked the provincial government to immediately transfer DIG of Traffic, Sajid Owais Agha, for his drive against the unauthorised vehicles plying between city and neighbouring towns.

They have also alleged that Mr Agha and his subordinate staff is involved in extortion of money from them and he (DIG) should be expelled out of the province in the larger interest of the transporter community.

Commenting on transporters threat, a traffic police official said: “The law does not allow any transporter to run his vehicles without route-permit.

The drive is aimed at cleaning the mess from transport business. Those who violate law would be fined. Enforcement of the law is being dubbed as illegal by the mafia”, he added.

He said a particular mafia was against the DIG, “who neither take nor pay graft to anyone”. The present hue and cry against the DIG was a pre-planned move by that mafia, he added.

A senior police official said, owing to his uncompromising nature and straightforwardness, Sajid Owais Agha had been an OSD for years during his police service. “He wants to remain a clean fish in a dirty pond”, he added.

Despite hectic efforts, the DIG traffic could not be reached for his version of the situation.