KOHAT, Dec 28: People here have urged the district administration to start a regular bus service for thousands of residents of KDA Town and adjacent areas because majority of them can not afford the rent of taxis to commute between the town and the city and other nearby areas daily.

They have also demanded construction of a bus stand so that the town’s residents could easily get public transport for Peshawar and Rawalpindi through the KDA bypass. These days the town’s residents have to travel 10 to 12 kilometres to reach the new bus stand located outside Kohat city on Bannu road to catch a bus for Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

The Kohat city’s divisional headquarters hospital, passport office, Nadra office, Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital, district secretariat, universities, parks and playgrounds are all situated in the KDA Town and people have to visit these almost places daily.

The residents said that over the years population of the town had increased manifold, especially in phase-I.

Earlier, the fare of coaches running between Kohat and other districts besides intra city services were affordable, but now due to hike in petrol and CNG prices the fares have gone out of common man’s reach.

The taxi drivers have raised the fare to KDA Town from city to Rs150 and daily commuting costs Rs300.

Mohammad Saeed, a bank employee, said that he had to daily visit Peshawar for his job, spending Rs300 only in taxi fare so as to reach the bus stand and back home.

“My salary is good otherwise common man can not afford these fares. It is my compulsion to be in house because my 14-year-old daughter is suffering from cancer,” he said.

FREED FROM KIDNAPPERS: Hangu police got four people released from kidnappers and arrested an accused on Friday.

The police said that the alleged kidnappers, including Hazrat Daud, Salamat Shah and Mohammad Mustafa of Orakzai Agency, had kidnapped five people from Hangu and demanded Rs5.5 million ransom. Their victims were identified as Amir, Vaqar, Mohammad Israr and Abdul Qadir.

They said that the kidnappers had taken the four to Navidad Mountains and were planning to shift them to tribal area when the police raided their hideout and recovered the victims. An alleged accomplice of the kidnappers was also arrested. The police have registered a case against the accused.

Meanwhile, a man allegedly killed his wife in Mohammadzai area here on Friday.

The Cantt police have arrested the accused, Fazlur Rehman. Parents of the victim told police that the couple had bad relations. The police have registered a case against the accused.