A student of Agriculture University, Mubashir Khan uses a public bus to go from General Bus Stand to the university. Khan says he has to face difficulty as the closed roads are part of his daily route. PHOTO: FILE
A traffic police officer told The Express Tribune that Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Hidayatur Rehman has issued directives to not let public buses ply the road. “He took the decision without informing the traffic department,” said the officer. “Due to unannounced closure of the road, traffic system in the city has been badly disturbed.”
The order has rendered public buses immobile as Khyber Road was also closed for vehicles two years back, leaving the buses with no alternate route.
No alternatives
A student of Agriculture University, Mubashir Khan uses a public bus to go from General Bus Stand to the university. Khan says he has to face difficulty as the closed roads are part of his daily route.
“Now the bus does not drop me at the usual stop due to which I have to walk three kilometres to reach home.”
Mubashir is not the only one. Other passengers including women and children said they are dropped far from their stops. People have to walk to their destinations as not everyone can afford to hire taxis.
Blame game?
To seek help, members of the transport union met Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Transport Shah Muhammad Khan Wazir on Monday. Wazir then issued directives to Transport Director Manzoor Ahmad to discuss the issue with army officials.
After the meeting, Public Transport Owners Association (PTOA) President Khan Zaman Afridi told The Express Tribune buses have been banned from entering routes leading to Cantonment as they are largely used by Afghan nationals.
However, he said the government of Pakistan has issued proof of registration cards that are used to exit the country and to travel within, so public transport should not be disturbed. SP traffic Wahid Mehmood refused to comment on the matter.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2015.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
The Govt should intervene. at least core commander should consult the govt if there is any threat. This is how Taliban reign because no collaboration between the Govt and Army.