HARIPUR, April 14: Over 400 public transport vehicles have been impounded by the Road Transport Authority (RTA) for taking people to the venue of public meeting of Gen Pervez Musharraf to be held in Abbottabad on Monday.

“Nazim of Haripur Raja Aamir Zaman has ordered the RTA to impound over 500 vehicles for transporting people of the district to Abbottabad to attend the public meeting of President General Pervez Musharraf,” said a police constable, who was working with other three cops as a watchman of the impounded vehicles at the Elementary College, here.

He said the impounded vehicles would be sent to district and union Nazimeen and councillors for transporting people of their respective constituencies to the venue of public meeting in Abbottabad.

Sources told Dawn on Sunday that all Nazimeen and coucillors of Haripur district had been given a target of people to be send from their respective areas to attend the public meeting.

They said about 4,500 schoolteachers of the area were ordered to come early Monday morning to the Elementary College from where they would be taken to the venue of public meeting after taking their attendance. “The government functionaries will also make sure of the attendance of all the teachers at the college before their departure to Abbottabad,” they added.

Patwaris of the district have also been given a task to assemble farmers of their respective areas in the morning for carrying them to the site of the public meeting. “The Nazimeen have also set a target for them,” they added.

The sources said that the RTA was given a task to impound vehicles in Haripur. All the drivers of the seized vehicles were issued a slip of 35 litres diesel from the New Hazara Filling Station on the orders of district Nazim Raja Aamir Zaman.

A driver of a Ghazi-Haripur public van, Suba Khan, alleged that the traffic police had forcefully impounded his vehicle on the main road. “All passengers were forced to alight from the vehicles by the traffic police,” he added.

Lamenting the government high-handedness, he said that he would lose more than Rs1,500 earning of his two days.

Another driver of a Attock-Haripur passenger van, Nazir Ahmad, said, “this is unfair as the government is not paying the amount for our two days labour.”

Non-availability of public transport has created a lot of problem for commuters in the city. Specially long-distance passengers had been affected seriously as almost every vehicles had been impounded by the RTA on the city roads.

Our Abbottabad correspondent adds: Arrangements have been finalized for according a warm welcome to President Musharraf, when he arrives here on Monday to address a public meeting as part of his drive to win public support for the presidential referendum.

But the venue of the meeting has been changed from Liaqat Ground to the lush green Piffer Golf Club ground— one of the country’s the best golf courses controlled and managed by Frontier Force Regiment Centre.

Naib Nazim Barrister Jawed Abbasi Naib Nazim, chairman of the organizing committee as well, told Dawn that a 15-feet high and 40-feet wide stage had been set up with the arrangement for 25,000 persons attending the public meeting.

It was learnt that for security reasons at least 40-yards distance had been maintained between the stage and front row of chairs.