LAYYAH: A brawl between Karor Lal Esan TMA engineering department sub-divisional officer and Anjuman-i-Tajran president on Saturday evening resulted in the arrest of SDO and the subsequent strike by municipal staff.

Reports said the Karor tehsil municipal administration had issued notices to around 50 people who were raising their buildings without getting site plans approved from TMA. The engineering branch asked them to stop construction of their buildings.

On Saturday evening, Karor Anjuman-i-Tajran President Mukhtar Husain visited the office of SDO Zakaullah Khan and asked him to withdraw the notices. The SDO’s refusal resulted in exchange of hard words and Mr Zaka allegedly slapped Mukhtar Husain. On this Mukhtar called his relatives and some traders who allegedly thrashed the SDO, locked the main gate of TMA and started protesting by closing their shops.

Later, Karor police rescued the SDO from his office and registered a case No 26/15 on the report of Mukhtar Husain against the SDO under sections 506, 355 and 342 of PPC and put Zakaullah behind the bars. Consequently, the TMA officials went on strike against the police ‘highhandedness.’

Talking to Dawn, TMA sanitary union leader Mujahid Husain said: “We have observed a full-day strike today (Sunday).”

Meanwhile, APCA District President Rana Muhammad Afzal said the TMA workers would observe a two-hour token strike from 11am to 1pm daily until registration of case against Haji Mukhtar Husain and other traders who broke the door of SDO’s office and thrashed him.

Published in Dawn January 26th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play