PESHAWAR: Owners of filling stations and petrol dealers have expressed displeasure over increasing incidents of cash snatching and unsatisfactory security arrangements and urged the provincial government and police high-ups to take prompt notice of criminal activities and arrest involved people forthwith.

They asked the provincial government for pragmatic steps to prevent such unpleasant incidents in future, otherwise, they would be compelled to shut their businesses and protest.

The issue was discussed during an executive council meeting of Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association, chaired by its provincial chairman Abdul Majid Khan here on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by the association general secretary Gul Nawaz Afridi, members and petrol pump owners and dealers in a large number. The meeting unanimously condemned the increasing incidents of robbery and snatching of cash at gunpoint in city areas and called it failure and incompetence of the provincial government and police department. It was informed that cash of over Rs 1.7 million had already been looted from a member of the association. Participants, on the occasion made it clear that if the provincial government failed to provide them security, they would shut businesses and strongly protest.

About Rs6 Million has been looted from a petrol pump of a member of the association Haji Abdul Majeed in broad daylight, the meeting was told.

Abdul Majid Khan, the association chairman, strongly condemned increasing incidents of cash snatching and unsatisfactory security arrangements and criticized the provincial government and police department for poor security arrangements.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021