Traffic congestion in the capital city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Mondays is quite the usual scene. However, a massive protest by rickshaw drivers, coupled with closure of CNG stations marked the beginning of this week, severely inconveniencing people from all walks of life.
Strike by rickshaw drivers
Around 40,000 to 50,000 rickshaw drivers running without road permits protested against the traffic police for introducing two shifts in the city.
The protest began from Faqiraabd and Berisco Gate and the drivers staged a sit-in on GT Road, closing the artery for over three hours. It was also reported that the police tear gassed and baton charged protesters, while the latter retaliated by throwing bricks.
Rickshaw Drivers’ Union General Secretary Murad Khan told The Express Tribune that their protest was against unjustified impounding of their vehicles and plans to introduce two shifts for rickshaws in different colours, as it would deprive the rickshaw drivers of their source of income.
“Our strike will continue till our demands are met.” Around 500 rickshaws have been impounded by the city traffic police so far, added Khan.
He was of the view that the system will decrease the fares of rickshaws, which in turn will decrease their profits.
However, Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police Najibur Rehman said only 10,000 rickshaws in Peshawar had valid road permits, while the remaining rickshaws were running without any legal document.
“The police has to impose a fine of Rs5,000 on any vehicle without a valid permit, followed by a Rs10,000 fine the second time round.” He said they were not imposing the heavy fine on drivers to provide them relief.
“We want to streamline traffic by introducing the colour system.” Rickshaws will be given red and white colours and would be allowed to run in two shifts which will change each month, said Rehman. “We are not banning rickshaws.”
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, taxi drivers and public transport owners, reaped the benefits of the protest by overcharging commuters.
Strike by CNG station owners
As if the protest by rickshaw drivers was not enough trouble, CNG stations in K-P also remained closed on Monday as the All Pakistan CNG Association announced a strike against government policies.
K-P CNG Association Chairman Parvaiz Khattak said the strike was for an indefinite period. He said they were aware of people’s woes, but he insisted that they were struggling to give them relief.
Khattak was of the view that they were paying a higher rate for gas compared to the industrial sector, and there was no justification for increasing the price.
“Carrying out gas loadshedding in K-P is in contempt of court and we will approach the Peshawar High Court,” he said.
Similarly, CNG station owners in Hazara also observed a complete strike.
People’s woes
As there were few vehicles on the roads, most transporters overcharged commuters, who were left with no other option but to pay hefty fares to reach their destinations.
“I paid Rs20 to reach Haripur instead of Rs10 which is the normal fare,” said Jan Bibi, an elderly woman who came from Mankraye village to visit her ailing daughter in Haripur Hospital. Suzuki van owners who run their vehicles both on CNG and petrol also fleeced passengers without any check by the authorities.
Wasif Khan, a local who reached Peshawar from Mardan, told The Express Tribune that he had to wait for several hours before boarding a bus for Peshawar. Similarly, those leaving for other cities also had to face problems due to unavailability of transport.
With additional input from Muhammad Sadaqat in Haripur
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (2)
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very good move of the K-P traffic police, the rakshaws are becoming unbearable with anyone having nothing else to do, just buy one and get on the road without any driving experience. They are main cause of traffic jam in the city. But the problem won't be solved by just this initiative, unless the production is banned and all their workshops are taken out of city areas, so as to make it harder for them to maintain these annoying machines
very good move of the K-P traffic police, the rakshaws are becoming unbearable with anyone having nothing else to do, just buy one and get on the road without any driving experience. They are main cause of traffic jam in the city. But the problem won't be solved by just this initiative, unless the production is banned and all their workshops are taken out of city areas, so as to make it harder for them to maintain these annoying machines.