The oonth and ghora walas have remained a common sight at the Clifton beach as far as one can remember. Camel and horse rides have thrilled beachgoers for decades. But this major beach attraction is set to become a thing of the past no thanks to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), which is charging exorbitant amounts of money from the camel and horse owners, forcing them to quit their business altogether.
The camel and horse owners staged a protest demonstration on the Seaview Road on Tuesday, alleging that the DHA administration is collecting up to Rs 600 per animal from them daily as tax.
They brought their animals along with them and blocked the road for one and a half hours, chanting slogans against the DHA management.
A horse owner, Karim Dad told Pakistan Today that the DHA administration was charging them up to Rs 300 per animal a few months back, but now it has increased this amount to Rs 600. “It’s very difficult for me to pay so much money in these times of inflation,” he said.
Ayub Khan, who owns a camel, said that after paying Rs 600 to the DHA, he has no money left to feed his animal.
“The DHA is now handing over the collection process to a private contractor. This is sheer injustice with the poor people who raise their families by entertaining people,” he said.
“The DHA also takes away our animals if we refuse to pay them money,” he added.
A picnicker Sana told Pakistan Today that the Clifton beach, which already has very few attractions, would become a gloomy place if the horses and camels are gone. “The animal rides make the visit to the beach a memorable one,” she added.
Interestingly, the DHA tried to pin the blame on the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC).
DHA spokesman Riffat Naqvi told Pakistan Today that he has just returned from a leave and he has no information about the protest.
“The DHA has nothing to do with the camel and horse owners as the beach falls under the jurisdiction of the CBC,” he said.
However, the CBC said that it has nothing to do with this and hurled the ball back into the DHA’s court. CBC spokesman Khadim Hussain Achwi told Pakistan Today that the Sea View belt falls under the administrative control of the DHA and the CBC only deals with Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim, he claimed.
Darakshan SHO Shoukat told Pakistan Today that the DHA administration has filed an FIR against camel and horse owners for staging a protest. However the protesters have also registered a case against the DHA management.
