Amid exorbitant transport fares, a good number of expatriates started returning to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Saturday after the Eidul Fitr holidays.
The transporters remained undeterred in charging undue fares despite public complaints and the intervention of the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner and the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) secretary to lower the fares.
On Saturday, the last Eid special train departed from Peshawar to Karachi, concluding the series of special trains. The Pakistan Railways operated a total of four Eid special trains this year, with three running before Eid and the final one on the fourth day of the religious festival.
The twin cities experienced a significant surge in passenger traffic at all transportation hubs on Saturday. There had been a noticeable increase in complaints regarding overloaded vehicles and excessive charges. Passengers and transporters exchanged arguments over exorbitant fares and extra fares for luggage and minor children.
Although Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema and the RTA secretary had announced the monitoring of all transport bases and the deployment of staff during the Eid holidays, no monitoring was carried out. The monitoring staff of the administration also went on vacation, allowing transporters to charge fares arbitrarily.
Passengers travelling from Rawalpindi to Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot were charged an extra Rs350, while those heading to Multan, Karachi and Peshawar had to pay Rs500, Rs1,200 and Rs200 for Peshawar respectively. In the wake of high volumes of passengers, local transport buses and wagons operated on longer routes, resulting in a significant reduction in local and intercity transport services. The dearth of public vehicles pushed buses and wagons to charge Rs200 fare between Rawalpindi to Islamabad. The drivers of Qingqi rickshaws also charged fares fearlessly.
The return of people to the twin city will be completed today and from April 15 all courts, government and private offices, and commercial hubs will resume routine working.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2024.
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