Bus stand dispute paralyses Abbottabad

A long-brewing dispute between the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) and local transporters over control of the General Bus Stand erupted into a full-scale transport crisis on Wednesday, paralysing travel across Abbottabad and the wider Hazara region.

Transporters withdrew their vehicles from service, leaving passengers stranded as routes to Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and several other cities came to a standstill.

The district administration — after warning that route permits for striking transporters could be cancelled — launched an operation a day earlier to remove illegal encroachments from the General Bus Stand.

Twenty-six kanals of land were retrieved and handed over to the TMA, which subsequently assumed control of the adda's offices and shops. Officials maintained that the intervention was intended to improve cleanliness, restore order, and dismantle the so-called "slip mafia," with uniform fees to be levied on all vehicles.

Transport unions, however, reacted strongly, accusing the TMA of exceeding its authority, mismanaging transport affairs, and imposing unjustified fee increases.

They further alleged that the operation would deprive hawkers and clerks of their livelihoods, while enabling the department to engage in extortion under the pretext of regulation.

Matters escalated when transport unions from Kohistan to Ghazi jointly declared a complete wheel-jam strike across Hazara on Monday, threatening legal action against the TMO for purportedly violating a Peshawar High Court stay order.

Union leaders insisted that, while management of the bus stand falls within the TMA's remit, they would not concede operational control to officials they accuse of corruption.

The two-day strike has already caused severe disruption to commuters, with most vehicles absent from major routes. Although the TMA arranged temporary coaster and wagon services, the limited fleet resulted in long queues and considerable hardship for passengers.

Authorities have yet to issue an official statement, as uncertainty and public frustration continue to mount across the Hazara division.