KOHAT: The district administration has failed to enforce section 144 in the city’s old springs as people continue to throng there to beat the heat, thus exposing them to the threat of contracting Covid-19.

Hundreds of people, particularly youth, gather daily at the springs and take bath from morning till evening, and sometimes at night, ignoring the pandemic threat.

Two days ago, the police had evicted the people from the springs but as soon as they left the scene the people again gathered there in large numbers.

The civil society activists said the dangerous practice could not be stopped unless the police arrested the violators of the section 144. They apprehended that the Covid-19 could spread rapidly due to crowding of the springs by the people.

In a separate development, additional assistant commissioner-III, Kohat, Mohammad Iqbal accompanied by FC and police personnel visited the main bazaar, the sasta bazaar and chicken market and fined many shopkeepers and closed their outlets for violating the Covid-19-induced SOPs. He warned the traders to abide by the two-day lockdown strictly. He also distributed masks among the people.

Also, assistant commissioner, Upper Orakzai, Adnan Ahmed visited various bazaars and checked the availability of food items at shops.

He asked the traders and consumers to observe precautions against the coronavirus pandemic. He also distributed masks among the people.

CLEANING OF NULLAH: A special task force of the Water Supply and Sanitation Company (WSSC) has started cleaning a blocked nullah in Jumma Khan Mohallah, which has been blocked for years.

WSSC deputy general manager Tahir Haneef and chief sanitary inspector Sohail Ahmed, who are supervising the work, said encroachments were hindering cleaning of the nullah, according to a statement issued on Friday.

They said the company had been receiving complaints from people about overflow of dirty water due to blockade of nullah. They said it was tough task to go deep into the tunnel and clean it due to encroachments.

The WSSC officials said the shopkeepers and the factory owners throwing filth into the drain had been served notices.

They said the task force had launched work in two shifts from 8am to 12pm and from 6pm to 8pm.

HASHISH SEIZED: Kohat police seized 17 kilogrammes of hashish and 90 litres of homemade liquor from local peddlers and an interprovincial smuggler in different operations on Saturday.

A statement issued from the DPO office said that during patrolling on Hangu Road the police stopped a suspicious person carrying a carton on his shoulder. He said during checking 14kg of hashish was recovered from the carton. The carrier, Yousuf Khan of Orakzai, was moved to the police station.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2021