GUJRAT, Feb 5: The Kharian Tehsil Municipal Administration on the request of the local residents on Wednesday restored water supply to Kharian, Dinga and Lalamusa, but continued their strike.

The municipal staff on the third consecutive day staged sit-in against beating up of their two fellows by the musclemen of former Dinga MC chairman Mian Amjad, brother of ex-MPA Mian Tariq and uncle of PML-Q’s Maria Tariq. The protesters vowed to continue strike till acceptance of their demands.

They even refused to switch on streetlights and remove garbage lying at various places in Kharian, Dinga and Lalamusa. They demanded the authorities concerned to take stern action against the relevant police, which refused to book Amjad and his accomplices.

It was learnt that Kharian tehsil Nazim Chaudhry Nadeem Asghar Kaira ordered restoration of water supply on residents’ request.

When contacted, the tehsil Nazim told this correspondent that some local people and politicians wanted to purchase the Dinga’s camping ground at throwaway prices. He said a district price assessment committee’s meeting was held on March 29, 2002, to assess the market price of Khasra No 4120, measuring 41 kanals and five marlas.

He also said the participants, committee members and the TMA representatives also visited the camping ground and divided the land in three categories.

(1) Category A comprising commercial area 35 feet deep along with the main roads indicated in the map in red.

(2) Category B comprising commercial area 20 feet deep along with the streets indicated in the map in brown.

(3) Category C comprising residential area in the rear of shops/commercial area indicated in the map in green.

The committee agreed and assessed the market price of A category at Rs1,200,000 per marla, B category at Rs600,000 per marla and C category at Rs150,000 per marla, the Nazim added.

He said the price of the same land had been assessed at Rs100 million during the previous government, which according to the new price assessment was more than Rs500 million, he added.

Meanwhile, Kharian DSP told Dawn that the tehsil Nazim had restored the water supply on his request. About case against Amjad and his men, he said, police were investigating.

It was learnt that the municipal authorities had planned to file a writ petition with the Lahore High Court.