People travelling to their native cities and villages to spend Eid holidays are facing a lot of difficulties due to unavailability of transport and exorbitant fares. The owners of different bus services have allegedly created artificial shortage of vehicles due to which the travellers are forced to pay increased fares. In a visit to local bus stand of provincial capital, it was seen a huge rush of people, but they complained about shortage of vehicles, and fare hike.
As per ugly practices long route transporters were openly looting helpless passengers by charging Rs 50 to 100 extra on a ticket apart from charges of luggage, apathy was found in the government officials who were watching the whole drama with closed eyes.
It was reportedly the travellers are being faced with difficulties in other districts of the province due to lack of sufficient transport. Sohail Khan, a person travelling from Dir to Bannu, told this scribe that vehicles are unavailable at bus stands and the available vehicles have increased the fares by at least 50 percent.
"Now I am standing in Mardan and no vehicle is available. I have arrived last night, but I spent the night at a hotel due to unavailability of vehicle. I will start journey to Bannu in the morning. There were only four holidays for Eid and a lot of time has been wasted on roads," he said. The cattle traders have also complained that transporters are charging heavy amount for transporting cattle from one place to other.
On the other hand, transport association leader Liaquat Khan said the vehicle owners have nothing to do with increase in fares. He said the vehicles owners have not increased the fares and they don't want to do injustice with travellers. He said drivers and cleaners of vehicles may be involved in profiteering.
Meanwhile, transport fares were raised up to double in eve of Eid-ul-Azha while the public transport also disappeared from bus terminals in Abbottabad, adding to the miseries of passengers. Transporters were charging fares at their own will and people had no choice to reach destinations except to pay the increased fares.
A commuter Muhammad Shabir said the transport is less than half as compare to routine and fares have also increased more than double. He also said that profiteers also jumped in to get there share from the situation. Old busses and other vehicles that are not fit for long route are being used. Another local passenger, Muhammad Javed said local transporters are also charging extra fare as "Eidi" and neither regional transport authority nor traffic police took any measure to stop the practice.
He said that normal fare for Mansehra from Abbottabad was 45 rupees and local transporters were charging 100 and 150 rupees. Manager Abbottabad Bus Terminal Sardar Hafeez said there is discrepancy of public transport as compare to population size and particularly on the occasions of Eids and other vacation owing to rush the difference increases. Replying to a question of extra fairs, Sardar Hafeez said we hire special buses and coasters from outside on the Eid vacation on extra charges so we have to raise the fares.
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