District govt properties: Traders demand withdrawal of increase in rents

PESHAWAR: Local traders have expressed concern over the unprecedented increase in rents of district government properties, issuance of illegal notices to them, raids in bazaars and arresting of colleagues on pretext of violating standard operation procedure (SOPs).

The reservations were raised by a delegation of Al-Khidmat Traders District Peshawar, which met with Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz here at the chamber house on Monday.

Besides, Shahid Hussain and Abdul Jalil, Senior Vice President and Vice president of the SCCI, patron in chief of the Al-Khidmat Traders District Peshawar and President Khyber Bazaar Anjuman e Tajaran, Khalid Mehmood, President Al-Khidmat Tajraan Peshawar, Khalid Gul Mohmand, General Secretary Irfran Paracha, Deputy General Secretary Mushtaq Ahmad Khalil, vice president Haji Saifullah, general secretary Anjuman e Tajraan Khyber Bazaar Bashir Zada, Al-Khidmat City Tajraan General Secretary Gul Muhammad Safi, vice presidents of Al-Khidmat Tajraan Peshawar, Amirzada and Zahir Shah were present in the meeting.

Khalid Mehmood informed the meeting regarding traders' issues in result of government anti-business policies and discriminatory attitude being carried out with the business community during the ongoing corona lockdown in the city.

The traders' leader asked the government to take back its decision regarding whopping increase in rents of district government properties, stop issuance of illegal notices, harassing and arresting of his colleagues on pretext of violation of SOPs.

Maqsood Pervaiz while speaking on the occasion said they have always raised the genuine demands and issues of traders before the relevant authorities and departments and resolved them on priority basis. He assured the traders that the chamber will take up their problems and grievances with the department concerned to address them amicably.

SCCI chief demanded the provincial government to immediately take back its decision regarding unprecedented increase in rents of district government properties and also withdraw the notices issued to traders in this regard.

Furthermore, he asked to waive off last three months' rents of properties of traders, which have adversely affected by the lockdown.

The chamber president demanded the federal government to defer implementation of the Point of Sale (POS) System and condition of CNIC for next three years.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020