City council session adjourned after rumpus

Published January 25, 2002

GUJRANWALA, Jan 24: The tehsil city council session was adjourned for an indefinite period after an exchange of hot words between opposition and treasury groups on various points here on Thursday.

The meeting was presided over by tehsil city Naib Nazim Chaudhry Ehsanullah and participated in by Nazim Babu Javed Ahmad and members of opposition and treasury groups.

A Naib Nazim, Haji Muhammad Afzal, wanted to know the reason of awarding contract of computerizing the birth and death record of the tehsil city council and its cancellation. But the convener barred him to speak on the issue. On it, opposition leader Sheikh Iqbal protested and alleged that their voice was being pressed.

He criticized the tehsil city Naib Nazim while the members of treasury benches tried to snatch mike from him. The Naib Nazim adjourned the session sensing the situation would worsen.

Later, Nazim Babu Javed told newsmen that he cancelled the Rs2.4 million contract. He denied that any member of the treasury group was involved in corruption.

INQUIRY: The district coordinating officer on Wednesday ordered an inquiry against the registry branch moharrers for taking bribe.

Revenue officials Muhammad Saleem and Muhammad Sadiq had allegedly received Rs1,500 in bribe from Mushtaq in connection with the transfer of his property a few days ago.

Deputy district officer Riaz Ahmad Butt has been inducted as inquiry officer.

OPPOSED: The shopkeepers in Nowshera Virkan tehsil on Wednesday observed a complete strike to protest against imposition of taxes on footpath sellers by the tehsil council.

Reports reaching here revealed the shopkeepers held an emergent meeting presided over by Anjuman-i-Tajran President Shaikh Ahmad.

They said the tehsil council had imposed ground tax on footpath vendors to legalise their business, adding they had encroached the footpaths in front of their shops.

They announced that they would continue strike for an indefinite period, urging the authorities concerned to provide the vendors some alternative place.

The vendors, on the other hand, resented the decision to impose a tax of Rs30 and urged the officials to remove the tax without delay.