Ban on commercial activities in University Town

CM forms committee to propose measures for resolving issue

PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has hinted at allowing commercial activities in the University Town where owners of several health and educational and other institutions have been running businesses for the last 40 years.

The businessmen, health practitioners and owners of educational institutions staged a protest on Thursday against the Peshawar High Court decision to stop all commercial activities in the University Town. They blocked the main road in the posh locality until they were called by the chief minister for a meeting to discuss the issue.

The meeting held at the office of the chief minister was attended by senior officials and local entrepreneurs.It was attended by Secretary Local Government Syed Jamaluddin Shah, Secretary Law Muhammad Arifeen, commissioner, deputy commissioner Peshawar and members of the committee including Najiullah Khattak, Nawaz Khan Shangla, Mehar Ali Shah, Mrs Hadia Mehar, Ilyas Khalil, Jehanzeb Dhaki, Bushra Qadeem and Salman.

The committee members informed the chief minister that recently the Peshawar High Court passed orders in a case to stop commercial activities in residential areas in the entire province.

However, they complained that the relevant department issued notices only to the service providers in University Town Peshawar to close their institutions within 15 days failing which they were warned that action would be taken against them, including disconnection of electricity and gas supply and cancellation of property ownership.

President of the University Town Business and Welfare Society, Nawaz Khan Shangla, told The News that they informed the chief minister of the gravity of the issue that was likely to affect the future of thousands of children and employees.

He said thousands of employees would lose jobs while Rs1 billion revenue would be lost if commercial activities were stopped in the University Town.He said the court decision is for the entire province, but action was being taken against those running businesses in the University Town only and that too at a time when 70 percent of the businesses have already shifted out of the province due to acts of terrorism.

“We informed the meeting that legislation on the lines of Punjab would be the only solution to allow commercial activities in the University Town, which has now become a commercial hub by all measures,” he added.

Service providers in the upscale University Town include schools providing quality education to 25,000 students from the middle and lower-middle class.

Doctors and beauty parlours are providing services not only to the residents of the area, but to the entire province while small cafes and restaurants are also catering to the needs of people.

Nawaz Shangla said that in similar cases in other provinces, particularly on M M Alam Road in Lahore, it was observed that the areas were declared commercial although the same were designated residential areas in the master plans.

“We requested the provincial government to make necessary amendments through legislation and form a committee of the officials concerned and stakeholders to propose a way out to save the jobs of over 15,000 employees of various commercial concerns,” he argued.

The chief minister, he said, hinted at allowing commercial activities in the University Town.He said the chief minister formed a two-member committee of secretary local government and secretary law to come up with proposals to resolve the issue.

“The chief minister categorically said that the government would not put the future of thousands of students at stake and take all measures to save public interest,” Nawaz Shangla added.