Unfair fares: SHC issues notices to chief secretary, other officials

Petitioner says authorities failed to implement notification on transport fares

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Monday notices to the provincial chief secretary and the home and transport secretaries on a petition seeking enforcement of official notifications regarding reduction in the fare of public transport.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, adjourned the hearing on a petition filed by Pasban Pakistan for a date to be later notified by the office.

The social rights organisation’s Abdul Hakim Quaid had approached the court against failure of the authorities to implement two different notifications issued first in 2015 and then in March, this year.

The petitioner recalled that the provincial government had issued a notification last year, wherein it had fixed the fare for the public transport at Rs10 per stop. The maximum fare was fixed at Rs14. Similarly, the fare for the minibus was fixed at Rs10 and Rs15 and for the coaches at Rs14 and Rs17, respectively.

Quaid informed the judges that the authorities had failed to implement these prices due to which the passengers were suffering at the hands of the transporters. He added that another notification was issued in March this year, wherein the local fares were further reduced by Rs5 to Rs10 per passenger.

He alleged that provincial chief secretary, the home and transport secretaries and others had once again failed to get their orders enforced in letter and spirit, which was their legal obligation. He pleaded that the court order the respondents to ensure implementation of the two notifications.

After hearing initial arguments, the judges issued notices to the provincial law officer and the respondents for a date to be later notified by the office.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2016.