MURREE, May 13: With the start of summer season, a large number of tent villages have come up in various jungles of the hilly resort.

The Rawalpindi district administration has imposed Section 144 to prevent the growth of these illegal tent villages in the Murree forests but with the alleged connivance of the forest department and Town Municipal Administration (TMA) officials, a large number of tents are being installed in various areas of the mountainous town.

These encampments are being set up by Afghan nationals who are allegedly involved in drug peddling and other crimes.

The residents alleged that with the establishment of these tent villages, crime ratio in the hill station has rapidly increased.

Beggar children from tent settlements cause a lot of inconvenience to the tourists on The Mall and other areas of Murree but the officials of the departments concerned remain unconcerned to these ever-pestering beggars.

The Afghan nationals have also erected their makeshift stalls on various roads of the city.

Traders of the area said they paid huge rent for their shops as well as taxes to the government but the civic body did nothing to remove these illegal stalls to save their businesses.

President Anjuman-i-Tajran Abdul Hameed Abbasi demanded that the Town Municipal Administration (TMA) should remove these stalls immediately otherwise the traders of the city would have no other option but to take stern action on their own against these stallholders.

The trader leaders appealed to the chief minister Punjab to take notice of the situation and bring to task those officials who are involved in the wrongdoings.

They said that the military officials should also look into the matter that can deteriorate the security situation in the hilly town.