Price hike : Petition filed on higher inter-city bus fares

SHC issues notice to secretaries of PTD, RTA and other respondents challenging hike in inter-city bus fares.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court issued notice on Tuesday to the secretaries of the Provincial Transport Department, Regional Transport Authority and other respondents on a petition, challenging the increase in inter-city transport fares.

A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Mushir Alam, was hearing a petition filed by Rana Faizul Hassan, who prayed the court to declare the transport fare hike illegal. He impleaded the secretaries and DIG Traffic as respondents.

He submitted that thousands of people daily come to Karachi and travel to rural Sindh on public transport. Transport companies, operating inter-city buses recently raised the fare by Rs100 per seat on the pretext of an increase in petroleum prices. He contended that the arbitrary increase of Rs100 per seat was in violation of the traffic rules and provisions of the Constitution, wherein public rights were enshrined.

He stated this increase was not even proportionate to the surge in fuel prices and he appealed to the court to declare it illegal and unlawful. He urged the court to direct the respondents to take action against the transporter companies involved in over-charging commuters.

The SHC division bench issued the notices for a date to be fixed by the office of the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2011.