ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: Transporters and the staff of Capital Development Authority (CDA) clashed on Tuesday after the latter demolished four bus stands at Faizabad.

Several transporters received injuries during the operation, which was jointly conducted by the CDA and ICT administration. The CDA staff and police resorted to baton-charge the agitated transporters.

The operation, led by Qazi Inam, started at 9am and concluded in the evening.

Ghulam Murtaza Satti, the member of the National Assembly, who was present there, asked the CDA officials to resolve the issue through dialogue, but they told him not to interfere in the matter.

Earlier, Green Land, Raja Travels, Niazi Travels and Frontier Punjab bus stand had been removed from Pir Wadhai in connection with the dualisation of I J Principal Road.

Following this demolition, the owners of these stands shifted them to Faizabad and also constructed sheds for buses and passengers.

Officials said the bus stands were built in violation of rules, therefore, the directorate of municipal administration with the help of ICT administration conducted the operation and removed the structures.

Ghulam Murtaza Satti told Dawn that he was on his way to Islamabad when he saw the CDA staff demolishing the bus stands at Faizabad.

“I rushed to the spot and requested the CDA staff to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner,” he said adding “But they threatened me of dire consequences, if I interfered.”

HE SAID: “Then I contacted the CDA chairman by telephone and informed him about the situation.” “The CDA chairman said he would call me back but he did not,” the public representative said.

He said the transporters showed the CDA officials the court orders but they refused to abide by the procedure laid down in the charter of the authority. Some of the transporters said they had obtained stay orders from the court so that they might continue their business at Faizabad.

They said three years ago, they had received a notice that these stands had become traffic hazard and should be removed.

“Meanwhile, we moved the court and obtained stay orders,” the transporters said.

They said the CDA’s ex-chairman had also assured them at the time of construction of Faizabad fly-over that they would be given place for the bus stands at Faizabad.

A transporter, Raja Shahid, said the stands were established on the private land 15 years ago. He said the CDA had no right to demolish the private structures.

He said under Article 246 of Islamabad Transport Authority Rules, Faizabad had been declared a temporary stopover for public transport vehicles.

Our Staff Reporter from Rawalpindi Adds: Transporters and commuters here on Tuesday damaged about 18 buses of a private transport company, the police and eye-witnesses said.

The company had recently been awarded exclusive operational rights on route No 7 by the Lahore High Court.

It, however, claimed that 30 of its buses were damaged. The damage, according to the company, has been estimated at Rs0.6 million.

The police have so far taken seven persons into custody for investigation.

Eye-witnesses said a van, one of the 75 vehicles barred from operating on the route, picked passengers from Sawan Camp. Meanwhile, some employees of the private transport company intercepted the van and asked the driver to drop the passengers.

A brawl between the driver and company men started, which was later joined by the passengers. In the meantime, thousands of people gathered there and some of them pelted stones at the company buses.

The traffic remained blocked for almost one and half hours allegedly by the company drivers. The police have arrested 10 drivers of the company on charges of blocking the road.

It may be mentioned that the district government on Monday constituted a commission to find ways to accommodate other transport services on the route. They were also offered alternate routes, which they refused. The commission would submit its report on Saturday.

The transporters are likely to challenge the LHC verdict in the Supreme Court.

The commuters alleged that the private company buses charged from them heavy fares.