‘Irregularities’ at Pirwadhai bus stand to be investigated

Illegal allotments cause huge losses to national exchequer

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha has decided to investigate the alleged irregularities in the allotment of stands at the General Bus Stand, Pirwadhai.

Sources said the bus stand at Pirwadhai has become a golden goose for the TMA in-charge and influential transporters and over the year, the illegal allotments of the bus stands have caused huge losses to the national exchequer.

According to sources, there are various rules for allotting bus stands to transporters, the major condition being that any transport company having eight or more buses can be entitled to the allotment.

However, due to the nexus of the TMA in-charge, Shehzad, and influential transporters, this regulation has not been implemented for the past several years, the sources claimed.

“There are a few bus stands where the rules are being blatantly violated,” they said. “Despite being a government official in charge of the stand, he is making the allotment of stands in collaboration with influential transporters,” the sources alleged.

“At many bus stands, transporters, that do not have a single bus or wagon in their name, are running vehicles,” they said and added that the stand in-charge allegedly takes huge bribes from such transporters, which not only causes direct loss to the public exchequer but also violates the rights of passengers.

In addition to the government fees, transporters who pay money are deliberately exempted in all matters such as the increase in fare and fitness of the vehicle.

The sources said that the transporters using bus stands against the rules charge arbitrary fares from passengers and buses plying from such bus stands have several problems. The bus stand in-charge allows the buses to ply despite all such violations for personal gains, they added.

The sources further said that no big private company can acquire the Pirwadhai bus stand due to the nexus of the bus-stand in-charge and influential transporters “even if they have more than eight buses and their travel facilities are up to the required standard and fares are reasonable”.

When contacted, bus-stand in-charge Shehzad told The Express Tribune that no violation was being committed at the Pirwadhai bus stand. “Bus stands cannot be allotted to any single transporter,” he said and added: “We have to accommodate many transporters on one stand.”

He further clarified that “the allotment is not only done by the in-charge of the bus stand but the transporters are also taken on board as per the direction of the district administration”.

On the other hand, the Rawalpindi commissioner told The Express Tribune that such nexus will never be allowed to harm the national exchequer or passengers’ interests.

“Modern facilities are being provided at the Pirwadhai bus stand so that the passengers may get a quality environment.”

He said that he will get the matter properly investigated and action will be taken against all such persons who attempt to harm the interests of the national treasury and passengers.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2023.