LAHORE:
The provincial capital of the country largest province, a city of over 13 million people, is predominantly populated by people non-locals. The fact becomes evident during Eid holidays as many localities present a deserted look after millions of students and workers leave for their hometowns.
In recent days, the influx of those leaving the city led to unusual rush on public transport. Bus and railway stations were swarmed by travelers.
Many passengers had to wait for hours to even to purchase the transport tickets.
The transporters exploited the situation not only by overloading but also overcharging.
According to a passenger, this is an old routine in the metropolis but in recent years marked by unprecedentedly high inflation rates, it had become tormenting for the working class to travel to their homes on such occasions.
The means of transport used by the citizens facing financial constraints draw the highest number of complaints of overloading.
The transporters place portable seats in the vehicles and in many instances ask the passengers to sit on the rooftop or keep standing during the whole journey after paying the normal fare.
A student from Balochistan, Ibtihaj Ahmad, who had recently graduated from a public sector university in Lahore is preparing for competitive examinations, said while speaking to The Express Tribune that he would prefer to stay in the city rather than leaving for his home.
He said the return ticket would cost him more than his monthly expenditure on staying and studying in Lahore.
A restaurant waiter, Ramzan Khan, also said that the fares were not affordable for him.
Both the men said they would plan to visit their homes later, when the fares would return to a normal level after the number of passengers would drop.
On the other hand, the City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) have announced a crackdown against transport overloading and overcharging.
Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Ammara Athar said the traffic police had imposed fine for overcharging on 360 buses in recent days.
She said the operators of 192 vehicles had been penalised for overloading.
The drivers and owners have been asked to paste the fare lists prominently on the buses, she added.
Over 10 teams have been deployed at major public transport hubs in the city, including the Lorry Ada, Babu Sabu, Niazi Chowk, Thokar Niaz Beg, Shahdara Chowk and Begum Kot to take action against overloading and overcharging.
The CTO warned that the vehicles found involved in overcharging and overloading would be impounded in police stations.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2024.
