Public interest: SHC asks why transport fares not decreased

The petitioner says Regional Transport Authority has failed to provide relief to the commuters

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the provincial chief secretary, the transport secretary, the regional transport authority and the transporters' representative to explain why they have failed to regulate public transport fares despite the decrease in petroleum prices.

The bench, comprising Justices Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Azizur Rehman, will take up the matter on December 23 to see who is responsible for the failure. The petitioner, Rana Faizul Hasan, said that the provincial government had established the Regional Transport Authority, which was responsible for regulating fares by keeping in view the interests of both transporters and commuters.

The regulating body has, however, failed to provide relief to the commuters, he claimed. Hassan informed the judges that the fares have been decreased in other provinces. Only in Sindh have transporters refused to do the same.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2014.