KHYBER: The Coal Lease Holders and Mine Owners Association in Khyber tribal district and Darra Adamkhel on Tuesday rejected the “exorbitant” taxes imposed by the provincial government and warned that if those taxes were not withdrawn, its members would stage street protests in all merged tribal districts.

Association leaders Pir Atta Mohammad Afridi, Haji Sabir Afridi, Asghar Khan Afridi and former lawmaker Haji Baz Gul told reporters that the taxes on coal leaseholders and mine owners were “cruel.”

They complained that authorities didn’t consult them before imposing those taxes.

The association leaders said instead of subjecting coal leaseholders and mine owners to harsh taxes, the government should provide them with better mining facilities.

They said they still reeled from huge financial losses caused by the decade long militancy and military operations in parts of the erstwhile Fata. They warned that the association would go to any extent for the reversal of those taxes.

“First, we rejected the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now, we reject the imposition of taxes in tribal districts. The federal government has already announced tax relief for the merged districts for at least 10 years due to their socio-economic backwardness,” said Baz Gul from Darra Adamkhel area.

He warned if those taxes weren’t withdrawn, street protests would be staged across tribal districts.

The other association members complained the government didn’t provide mine owners with explosives causing problems for them.

They said the decade-old ban on explosives had hit mining activities and rendered hundreds of mine workers jobless, while many contractors had stopped work on hundreds of coal mines.

NOTICES ISSUED: The Landi Kotal judicial magistrate on Tuesday issued notices to authorities over traffic mess, encroachments, and waste disposal in the Landi Kotal bazaar.

Six residents moved the court against officials of the traffic police, district administration and tehsil municipal authority, chairman of the local government, and president of the bazaar traders union on the issue.

They alleged that authorities had failed to regulate traffic in the bazaar during rush hours, stop fruit and vegetable vendors from encroaching on footpaths and roads, and check waste disposal.

The court directed all those officials to appear before it on June 13 along with an adequate reply to the complaints.

It also directed the Landi Kotal SHO to conduct an impartial inquiry into the complaints and produce a report.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2024