The Sindh transport department in coordination with the traffic and motorway police has stepped up action against transporters charging excessive fares across the province ahead of Eidul Fitr.A total of 45 intra-city vehicles were checked in Karachi in this regard night under the supervision of Sindh Transport Authority Secretary Ameet Nawani, read a statement issued by the transport department.
The transport officials imposed Rs15,000 fines on the violation of fixed fares and Rs97,000 that had been illegally charged from travellers were returned to them. Officials of the transport department also imposed a fine of Rs5,000 on transporters in Shaheed Benazirabad. Report received from transport officials in Larkana said a total of 30 vehicle operators were fined in Larkana.
The officials fined those transporters Rs17,100 and passengers were refunded Rs7,800. In Badin, the district regional transport authority imposed a fine of Rs7,500 on transporters and refunded Rs6,800 to passengers.The transport department in coordination with the traffic and Motorway police imposed a fine of Rs10,500 on transporters and returned Rs12,300 to passengers in action on the Sukkur-Multan Motorway near Rohri.
Transport department officials also fined transporters in Mithi and other districts of the province on violation of government-fixed public transport fares. It may be noted that the transport department had cancelled the Eid holidays of its officers and officials across the province and keep the offices of the department open for the convenience of the people and redress of their complaints regarding overcharging of transport fares.
Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon had warned the intercity bus operators in a press conference on Monday that first information reports (FIRs) would be lodged against them with the police if they overcharged people travelling to their native areas for Eidul Fitr.
He asserted that the government would not allow the transporters to financially exploit the people visiting their native towns and villages for Eid. Memon advised the transporters to contact the government if they had any reservations about the govt-notified bus fares instead of fleecing the people travelling to spend the Eid holidays with their families.He informed the media that the provincial govt would do its best to make sure that the people were not burdened with any extra expenses due to massive inflation. He said that a meeting of the Sindh cabinet had discussed the proposal that the fares of the buses operating under the newly launched intra-city Peoples Bus Service operating in the urban centres of the province should be increased due to the massive hike in the prices of petroleum products.
