Daily Times

The district police have foiled a smuggling bid seizing a quantity of Betel-nuts (Chhalia) worth Rs 4.5 million during an ongoing crackdown against the smugglings of non-custom-paid (NCP) items in the district. Following the directions of District Police Officer Abdul Rauf Babar Qaisrani, the operations against the smuggling of NCP goods were continued across the district, said a spokesman for district police.

He said a team of Darazinda police station led by SDPO Darazinda Circle Sher Ullah Khan along with SHO Taib Din Khan foiled a smuggling bid and recovered a quantity of foreign Betel-nuts from a Coal-loaded truck. The estimated cost of the recovered Betel-nuts was around Rs 4.5 million which was later handed over to the Customs authorities for further legal action.

Filling stations

The district administration warned the filling stations to obey the fuel prices fixed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) otherwise strict legal action would be taken against them. In this regard, assistant commissioners of Dera and Paharpur Tehsils on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Mansoor Arshad visited several filling stations in their respective areas to check rates and scale for the provision of petroleum products to consumers. Assistant Commissioner Dera Muhammad Faseeh Ishaq Abbasi visited different filling stations on Zafarabad Road and checked the scale and prices of petroleum products. Speaking on this occasion, the assistant commissioner emphasized that the district administration, under the Khushhal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Program, was actively working to provide relief to the general public.

He said all the Petrol Pumps’ owners should ensure the implementation of reduced rates of petroleum products besides ensuring accuracy in the scale. He warned that in case of complaints, the administration would not only impose hefty fines but would also take legal action, leading to the closure of the pumps involved in hoarding or overcharging. Similarly, Assistant Commissioner Paharpur Allah Noor Sherani also visited filling stations on Chashma Road to check the rates and scale of fuel. The assistant commissioner also inspected the availability of stock of petroleum products and warned owners of the filling stations that strict action would be taken against them if they were found involved in creating an artificial crisis of petroleum products in the market. He said that the purpose of his visit to fuel stations was to facilitate citizens by ensuring the sale of petroleum products at officially prescribed rates.

Citizens’ welfare

Assistant Commissioner Tank Aminullah Khan on Thursday said that district administration would make all out efforts to provide best healthcare facilities to citizens. He expressed these views while visiting the Basic Health Unit(BHU) at Ranwal where he inspected treatment facilities.