ATTOCK - The district administration shut all ill-maintained rides, slides and swings including mechanical, conventional and electrical at various parks and recreation spots as well as the river banks to avert any untoward incident due to rush of picnickers during Eid days.

However, the action invited wrath of the visitors and picnickers who lambasted the administration for the act and termed the same as ‘wrong action at the wrong time’ which deprived the masses celebrating the Eid holidays from a low-cost entertainment.

At Attock Khurd, on directives of Deputy Commissioner Ishrat Ullah Khan, a team of local administration raided Indus River picnic spot and sealed five mechanical and conventional swings. According to officials, these swings were operated without fitness certificate with expired licenses. At the site of Attock Khurd, those swings/boats having expired licenses are not allowed to operate until having renewed the license.

“The District Council deputed its personnel to ensure that no violation takes place with cooperation of the police”, an official said. Separately, Assistant commissioner Jannat Hussain Nekokara raided Railway Park and sealed all mechanical and conventional swings due to lack of fitness certificates.

Kiran Bibi, a student of COMSATS University, Attock told journalists that she had come from Haji Shah to enjoy the swings but was disappointed. She said that if the fitness certificate or renewal of license was prerequisite, then why the administration had been waiting for Eid days.

Zahoor Shah, a visitor from Jehangira, said that why the administration deprived masses of recreation on different pretexts and said that this should have been done earlier. Rimsha Kainat, a 13-year-old girl said that every year she along with her family used to come from Attock city to enjoy the swings but she was disappointed this time after seeing all the swings shut. 

Meanwhile, six persons died in 3 separate incidents in different areas of Attock district. In the first incident, three boys died during wheeling as their bike collided with a car on Hatian Hazro road. Rescue 1122 shifted the bodies to THQ Hospital Hazro. All three were residents of village Kalu Kalan. In another incident, two real brothers, Ehsan Elahi and Manan Elahi, sons of Irfan Elahi, residents of Dhok Fatah, drowned in river Haro. Their bodies were recovered by Rescue 1122 after hours’ long efforts. In another incident, a four-year-old boy died while 6 other persons including women of the same family received injuries as the rickshaw they were traveling by fell into a deep nullah.