HYDERABAD: After assurance of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, office-bearers of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) and trade bodies of various markets extended their deadline given to police for another 30 days on Thursday.

On Dec 14, they had given a deadline to the police of Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts for four days to improve the law and order.

HCCI president Gohar Ullah said that a 12-member delegation of the chamber had been invited to the Sindh Chief Minister House on Dec 17 so that traders could express their concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in the districts of Hyderabad and Jamshoro.

He said that after hearing a 10-point agenda presented by traders regarding the issues concerned, the CM had given a deadline of 30 days to the SSPs of Hyderabad and Jamshoro and 10 days to the DIG Hyderabad range to improve the situation and announced giving 10 police mobile vans immediately for the purpose. The CM assured them of addressing their concerns.

The ten-point agenda consisted of issues regarding extortions, armed robberies, illegal occupation of land, thefts, street crimes, shortage of police strength, lack of resources to police, poor infrastructure of Hyderabad, bad health and sanitation facilities and delay in allotment of plots in Hyderabad site phase-II.

After consulting all trade bodies and HCCI members, businessmen reached the decision that they would defer the protest for another 30 days and wait for improvement in the law and order.The HCCI president said this while addressing a number of businessmen at a meeting held at the HCCI on Thursday.

Many traders agreed to give the month-long deadline to police, but a couple of them were reluctant to extend it and expressed reservations about many SHOs and DSPs of police stations who were not doing their duty honestly and busy in collecting bribes.