Gettin’ outta town: Transporters have a field day as Eid rush peaks
Capital begins to wear deserted look as most residents head home.
ISLAMABAD:
The biannual hustle and bustle on the capital’s roads and markets, followed by near-desertion, is at its peak with Eidul Azha right around the corner.
Most residents left the city on Friday owing to the beginning of the five-day weekend and public and private offices closed their doors for a long break.
Owing to lack of adequate transport, a high number of residents were seen searching for buses and wagons on Saturday too.
Moreover, due to the recent floods, railway tracks in some parts of southern and central Punjab are not in working condition due to which Pakistan Railways train service, Mehr Express, has suspended its operation for some cities, including Mianwali and Kot Add. This diverted commuters towards bus and wagon stations.
“It is incredibly hectic for passengers to get a seat or a comfortable place in a bus or wagon during the Eid holidays,” said Rashid Cheema, a government employee. He added that all he wanted to do was get home in time to prepare for the annual sacrifice and spend time with his family.
Muhammad Khaliq Khan, a mason by profession, had a tough time due to the shortage of public transport. He said it is the lower class that always has to go through hell to get home on Eid.
During the holidays, students too eagerly look forward to the long break from their study routines.
“We are very excited because of the five-day holiday as we will get to be away from school and also spend time with our grandparents, uncles, aunts and other relatives,” said Naila, a college student.
Additionally, most people plan to join the two days of work after the holidays and combine the Eid break to enjoy nine days off.
Free-for-all
Long route passengers have been left at the mercy of transporters who are charging fares by their will with Eid so close. Some long route commuters had to make the journey by sitting on rooftops amid shortage of space and necessity of travel.
Bus operators, particularly those plying from Rawalpindi to southern Punjab, are taking full advantage of shortage of transport by charging double rates from passengers and then moving them on the roofs.
Muhammad Latif, a young man from Layyah District, said he managed to get a ticket for the ‘roof seat’ by paying Rs900 against the regular fare of Rs500 due to the rush and in a bid to reach home before Eid day. He said he had no option but to settle for the high rates as Pakistan Railways had suspended their service due to damaged railway tracks.
Similarly, another passenger, Ejaz Ahmed was among the fortunate ones who acquired a ticket for Multan for Rs800 against the regular fare of Rs500. A passenger, Allah Waraio, said he paid Rs1,500 for Sukkur against the regular fare of Rs900.
On all intercity bus stations and wagon stands, including Pirwadhi, Faizabad and Swan Adda, passengers were in high numbers.
A ground survey by The Express Tribune found the highest number overcharging complaints against transporters going to Multan, Layyah, Bakkhar, Krorpakka, Talagang, Chakwal, Choke Azam, Kot Addu and Mianawali. Moreover, people travelling to Rawalakot, Plundri, Kotli, Abasspur and Bagh in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were also forced to pay much higher rates.
However, a visit to the bus stations and wagon stands taking passengers to DI Khan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Tank and Karak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa showed that operators were not demanding extra charges comparatively.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.
The biannual hustle and bustle on the capital’s roads and markets, followed by near-desertion, is at its peak with Eidul Azha right around the corner.
Most residents left the city on Friday owing to the beginning of the five-day weekend and public and private offices closed their doors for a long break.
Owing to lack of adequate transport, a high number of residents were seen searching for buses and wagons on Saturday too.
Moreover, due to the recent floods, railway tracks in some parts of southern and central Punjab are not in working condition due to which Pakistan Railways train service, Mehr Express, has suspended its operation for some cities, including Mianwali and Kot Add. This diverted commuters towards bus and wagon stations.
“It is incredibly hectic for passengers to get a seat or a comfortable place in a bus or wagon during the Eid holidays,” said Rashid Cheema, a government employee. He added that all he wanted to do was get home in time to prepare for the annual sacrifice and spend time with his family.
Muhammad Khaliq Khan, a mason by profession, had a tough time due to the shortage of public transport. He said it is the lower class that always has to go through hell to get home on Eid.
During the holidays, students too eagerly look forward to the long break from their study routines.
“We are very excited because of the five-day holiday as we will get to be away from school and also spend time with our grandparents, uncles, aunts and other relatives,” said Naila, a college student.
Additionally, most people plan to join the two days of work after the holidays and combine the Eid break to enjoy nine days off.
Free-for-all
Long route passengers have been left at the mercy of transporters who are charging fares by their will with Eid so close. Some long route commuters had to make the journey by sitting on rooftops amid shortage of space and necessity of travel.
Bus operators, particularly those plying from Rawalpindi to southern Punjab, are taking full advantage of shortage of transport by charging double rates from passengers and then moving them on the roofs.
Muhammad Latif, a young man from Layyah District, said he managed to get a ticket for the ‘roof seat’ by paying Rs900 against the regular fare of Rs500 due to the rush and in a bid to reach home before Eid day. He said he had no option but to settle for the high rates as Pakistan Railways had suspended their service due to damaged railway tracks.
Similarly, another passenger, Ejaz Ahmed was among the fortunate ones who acquired a ticket for Multan for Rs800 against the regular fare of Rs500. A passenger, Allah Waraio, said he paid Rs1,500 for Sukkur against the regular fare of Rs900.
On all intercity bus stations and wagon stands, including Pirwadhi, Faizabad and Swan Adda, passengers were in high numbers.
A ground survey by The Express Tribune found the highest number overcharging complaints against transporters going to Multan, Layyah, Bakkhar, Krorpakka, Talagang, Chakwal, Choke Azam, Kot Addu and Mianawali. Moreover, people travelling to Rawalakot, Plundri, Kotli, Abasspur and Bagh in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were also forced to pay much higher rates.
However, a visit to the bus stations and wagon stands taking passengers to DI Khan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Tank and Karak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa showed that operators were not demanding extra charges comparatively.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2014.