Burning pushcarts: Court orders FIRs for Havelian officials

ABBOTTABAD: An additional sessions’ judge Monday ordered the registration of a case against the Havelian Tehsil nazim and municipal officer for setting pushcarts of street vendors on fire.

According to Advocate Zehra Batool, the anti-encroachment squad of Tehsil Municipal Administration Havelian had confiscated over three dozen pushcarts, which were later set ablaze as punishment for occupying the organisation’s land.

The TMA staff, during this exercise, also destroyed fruit and vegetables belonging to the pushcart owners, thus depriving the vendors of their livelihood.

The action caused losses worth thousands of rupees to the pushcart owners who accused TMA of discrimination. They added that burning the carts were illegal. Advocate Batool moved a petition on behalf of the pushcart owners. Judge Phool Bibi ordered the police to register a case against the respondents under relevant sections of the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2016.