PESHAWAR: The excise and taxation department on Tuesday sealed 24 more plazas in the Karkhano locality of the provincial capital over non-payment of property tax.

Last Friday, the department sealed at least six plazas in the business district located on the fringes of the provincial capital, close to the border with Jamrud tehsil of Khyber agency.

Excise and Taxation Officer-Ill, Peshawar, Mohammad Kalimullah told Dawn that the department had sealed 24 plazas during its crackdown.

He said the sealed markets housed at least 2,500 shops. He said the plazas, which they closed last Friday, were yet to open as the owners were trying to settle the issue through a meeting with the minister excise and taxation. But, he said to give tax exemption to traders was next to impossible and only the provincial legislature was empowered to do so. He said these people were having markets on over 15 kanals of land, but were not ready to pay taxes.

He said there were at least 46 plazas in the Karkhano locality and so far they had sealed about 30 of them.