Public transport remains off road in the city

All major private transport companies have also suspended their operation.

LAHORE: All means of public transport remained suspended in Punjab on Sunday, leaving citizens and commuters stranded in their houses due to protests and rallies in almost every part of the province for second day.

Daewoo Pakistan spokesman Naeemullah said the company has suspended all its intercity bus operations across Pakistan for passengers’ safety. On Saturday, he disclosed, the company was operating its normal bus operations but a few of its buses were stuck protests on Grand Trunk Road so the company had to recall these buses back to Lahore.

He underscored that passengers’ safety was the first priority of the company besides safety of crew members and buses. Other private bus operators have also suspended their intercity bus and wagon operations from Lahore to avoid possible losses.



Punjab Masstransit Authority also did not operate its metro and feeder buses in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan as several incidents have been reported in which angry protesters damaged metro buses and other infrastructure. In Lahore, protesters deflated tyres of metro buses on Saturday, while in Rawalpindi angry protester shattered glasses and other equipment of metro stations.

Private transport operators of the Lahore Transport Company have also shut down operations in the city, leaving no option for citizens to commute in the city.

Private transport services including Uber, Careem or rickshaws were the only available option for passengers to travel in the city.

Both ride hailing services and rickshaw drivers have also applied multiplier factor on their fare as only a limited number of vehicles were being witnessed on roads.

A citizen, Dawood Khan, said life in provincial capital is at standstill as there is hardly any option available for citizen to travel in the city. Meanwhile, the city’s all teaching hospitals on Sunday looked helpless to carry out routine surgeries and treatments to the patients who came from far-flung areas of the Punjab. “I have come from Sharaqpur district to get my three-year-old granddaughter operated,” said Muhammad Rabbani at Lahore General Hospital.

“Now the doctors have postponed the surgery while on the other hand, I cannot go outside the hospital as protesters standing outside the hospital were not allowing even patients to leave.”

Thousands of people visit public hospitals including Mayo, General, Jinnah, Ganga Ram and Children hospitals and the most effected people in this situation were those who came from interior Punjab and were not able to get back to their hometown as the protesters mainly disturbed entry and exit points of the city.

Though the health department has declared emergency in these hospitals and doctors and other paramedical staff were on their duty, even the minor surgeries of were not being carried out since Saturday. At least 3,000 surgeries have been postponed.



The health department has declared emergency and all the CEOs and medical superintendents were also directed to remain present at their offices even on Sunday and other days till further orders.

According to the University of Health Science press release, classes in medical colleges will remain close on Monday and Tuesday while medical exams were also postponed.

The law enforcement agencies also requested the students of medicines to leave the hostels of medical colleges till the situation become normal.

The health department spokesman said that in order to deal with emergency situation at hospitals, the department took extraordinary precautionary measures.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2017.