I wonder why the district administration and government are taking this issue lightly.....Qabza groups appeear to have been more powerful than the official agencies. But obviously they cannot breach law unless some people from the official machinery are backing them up.
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By Tariq Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, June 25: Officials and employees of Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad (MCM) observed strike on the second consecutive day here on Friday to protest and condemn the alleged attack at their garbage laden vehicles and misbehaviour by an administration official with their chief officer.
The striking employees staged a demonstration outside their under-construction office in Upper Adda during which they kept on chanting vociferous slogans against the administration for “failing to provide them protection.”
Garbage had piled up in almost all neighbourhoods due to the strike and residents feared that the city would be stinking by the next working day (on Monday).
According to Shaikh Tahir Wasim, president Local Council Employees’ Association, two garbage laden vehicles were fired upon and pelted with stones by a group of miscreants near the civic body’s landfill site in Zaminabad village along Muzaffarabad-Kohala Road on Wednesday afternoon.
Not only the vehicles got damaged by firing and stone pelting but a driver, Basharat Gillani, also received injuries, creating deep sense of insecurity among the entire staff, he added.
Mr Wasim recalled that it was second such incident at the same place since June 10 at the hands of unscrupulous people who wanted to grab the 35 kanals of land, purchased and developed by the MCM for garbage dumping.
A fresh FIR was lodged against 10 accused persons but the police were yet to arrest the main culprits, he said.
On Thursday some notables from Zaminabad area approached the district administration following which negotiations between them and corporation officials were held in the office of deputy commissioner Muzaffarabad to find a solution to the problem.
According to Mr Wasim, the Zaminabad residents agreed at the meeting to get the damaged vehicles repaired besides ensuring that such incidents did not recur in future.
However, when corporation’s chief officer Abdul Hameed Shaheen said he could not call off the strike without taking the employees’ association into confidence he was roughly treated by assistant commissioner Abdul Hamid Kiany, which added fuel to the flames of striking employees’ rage and resentment.
The striking employees also met their concerned minister, Raja Naseer Ahmed, and asked him to redress the balance.
Mr Wasim said though the minister had directed the divisional commissioner to submit him a report, the employees could hardly resume work amid threats to their lives.
“Unless the government takes concrete steps to provide security to garbage dumping workers and also transfers the uncouth assistant commissioner we will not end our strike,” he declared.
Ends
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