THE decision of the Punjab Government, as reflected by the directives of Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatta to the authorities concerned, to ensure strict implementation of a ten percent cut in transport fares amounts to making mockery of the clear instructions of Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Kakar to the provinces to pass on full impact of the reduced fuel cost to the people. The decision sends a shocking message to the people that the real beneficiaries of a substantial cut in the prices of petroleum products would be transporters and businessmen and not the common man.
The inflation stricken people heaved a sigh of relief when for the two consecutive fortnights the Government announced a significant cut in the prices of both petrol and diesel in the hope it would also bring down fares and transportation charges for goods as cumulatively, the Government lowered prices of petrol by Rs. 48 a litre. There is a network of Regional Transport Authorities in each district of the province, headed by the Transport Department, the functions of which include, among other things, to regulate fares and take action in case of violations and fleecing of the general public. These RTAs allowed themselves to become irrelevant in the backdrop of highly unpredictable fuel prices, which keep on changing on a fortnightly basis. These RTAs must have a complete record of transport fares actually charged by transporters on different routes before and after each and every increase/decrease in the prices of oil. The ten percent cut in fares as decided by the provincial government is peanuts because transporters use to hike fares disproportionately at the time of every increase. There are legitimate complaints that transporters are fully organized and they use their unions and associations to influence the authorities and departments concerned for undue benefits. This highly biased decision of the Punjab Government also makes it clear why there is little hope that the prices of goods and services would come down as per ground realities.
