Transporters strike in the twin-cities on Monday created insurmountable problems for the public in general and the government servants in particular.
The Islamabad Transporters Union, an alliance of about a dozen transport owners' and workers' organisations and number of other transporters' groups, had called for the strike to press for an end to the newly launched Islamabad Traffic Police's campaign against errant transporters and drivers.
Female students and career women were worst hit by the strike. Hundred of commuters waited in vain at bus stops. They faced great difficulty in reaching their work places. The taxi service exploited the situation by charging double than routine. However, Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) the target of transporters' protest, came to the rescue of many stranded commuters. The ITP carried them to their respective destinations through their police trucks, staff buses, wagons and cars. The ITP transport fleet plied to and from Pak Secretariat, Karachi Company, Aabpara and Peshawar More.
This is for the first time that the traffic police came to their help, in such a way. An office-bearer of the transporters body, Ahmad Ali, complained that the newly traffic police in the federal capital challaned their vehicles on one pretext or the other. Regular commuters however spoke of 'hooliganism' of transporters, who treat passengers like animals.
A common complaint is that the transporters never complete their routes especially in rush hours. A freehand should not be given to transporters.
An ITP inspector told Business Recorder that they have started a drive to educate all road-users, especially drivers of the public transport. They should complete their allotted routes and avoid reckless driving and overloading. "The traffic police have introduced a 'chit system' on all routes to bind the drivers for completion of routes, but they continue to violate the system," he said.
Last month, the transporters had also observed wheel-jam strike at G-9 Markaz (Karachi Company) against a campaign launched by the traffic police compelling them to complete their routes and imposing a strict check on reckless driving. The drivers had blocked the traffic by parking their vehicles in the middle of the road and chanted slogans against the police.
Monday's strike was largely peaceful as no untoward incident was reported from any locality. The strike affected the commercial and other activities.
OUR CORRESPONDENT FROM RAWALPINDI ADDS: The transporters unions of the twin cities had given call for the strike on Monday against the attitude of Islamabad Model Traffic Police which is causing problems for them and getting very difficult to continue their operation. They said that police officials impose many sections instead of one. "The reason is just to collect more money for their own commission", they added.
Transporters dispelled the impression of any bribe and bhatta offer to police saying that Model Police have no need of bhatta as they are earning it from the commission from the fine illegally imposed on transporters. Within one month traffic police have recovered more than Rs 10 million from public transporters and earned a huge commission, they added.
They called upon government to direct the model police to change its attitude and only challan those vehicles, which are violating the traffic rules and impose only one section.
District government of Rawalpindi has failed to introduce new transport system in the twin cities to provide any relief to masses. Varan Tours, a big transport company, was forced to stop operation a year back and the government had made claims to bring many companies in this field. Three companies sent their offers to run transport services in twin cities but the high ups in regional transport authority are not giving them green signal.
The district Nazim has time and again said that new transport system would be introduced to end the monopoly of the wagon owners, but of no use. The RTA and wagon owners have foiled all these moves. He said that on February 22, last year Varan was abandoned but so far no substitute was given. "We are sure that authorities were behind the closure of the Varan Tours, just to give benefit to their blue eyed people rather get huge money as commission", he added.