MULTAN   -   Excise and Taxation and Nar­cotics Control Department during a special crackdown launched against the default­ers on Wednesday, sealed over 300 properties of defaulters in the last 48 hours.

As per directives of the Di­rector Excise and Taxation If­tekhar Ahmed, the department under the supervision of all Excise and Taxation Officers (ETOs) launched a grand oper­ation against tax defaulters to recover pending dues of over Rs6 million. The teams cov­ered the areas of Garden Town, Sher Shah Road, Nishtar Road, Bosan Road, Gardezi Market, Gulgasht Colony, Mumtazabad, and Timber markets.

The Director of Excise Iftekhar Ahmed has urged the business community to pay their taxes at the earliest in order to avoid le­gal action against them. He said that 70 percent of the recovered tax payments were being spent on the development of the city.

He said that various devel­opment projects of public fa­cilitation would be completed through the tax, adding that all pending dues from defaulters would be recovered at any cost.

He said that the provincial government had directed to ensure strict action against de­faulters, adding that the vehicles of short token tax and without registration would be impound­ed at the spot and would not be released till payment of all pending dues. He said that the ongoing month was the last month of the current fiscal year and very important for recov­ery of tax, adding that zero-tol­erance policy would continue against defaulters.

THREE HELD DURING POLICE CRACKDOWN

Bohar Gate police during a crackdown launched here on Wednesday nabbed three mem­bers of a notorious motorcycle lifter gang besides recovering stolen motorcycles from their possession.

According to a police spokes­person, taking action on the rising incidents of motorcycle theft, the Central Police Officer (CPO) Mansoor-ul-Haq Rana directed Station House Officer (SHO) Bohar Gate police sta­tion Haji Liaqat Ali to launch a comprehensive action against the criminals. The police team busted the notorious Aqeel gang and arrested three mem­bers including the ring leader Muhammad Aqeel, Iftekhar, and Muhammad Imran.

The police have also recov­ered stolen motorcycles, mobile phones, and cash from their possession.

Further investigations were in the process and more recov­eries were expected soon, the spokesperson added.

DISTT ADMIN TO SET UP SIX CATTLE SALE POINTS

The district administration on Wednesday decided to set up six cattle sale points in the district for providing facilities to the masses for the purchase of their sacrificial animals be­fore Eid-ul-Azha.

Presiding over a meeting of district administration and cattle management company here at his office, Deputy Com­missioner (DC) Omer Jehan­gir said that the model cattle company would set up two cattle sale points. The munici­pal corporation would also set up two points while one sale point would set up each at Shu­jabad and Jalalpur Pirwala, he added. The DC said that section 144 would be imposed on sell­ing cattle in urban areas. Fur­thermore, he assured that the best parking, security, cleanli­ness and clean drinking water facilities would be made at all cattle sale points. The deputy commissioner said that the ar­rangements would be finalized in advance before Eid-ul-Adha to facilitate the masses.