As the CNG stations in Sindh closed down for two days on Monday, the transporters in Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Badin and other parts of Sindh, grabbed the opportunity to fleece the passengers by raising the transport fares by up to 100 percent.
Hundreds of public transport vehicles, including coaches, coaster, vans and taxis were stranded in Karachi, Hyderabad among other parts of Sindh, and the passengers had to face immense hardships while they were coaxed into paying extra charges for reaching their destinations.
Some passengers stranded at the Mirpurkhas bus terminal told Pakistan Today that taking benefit of the closure of CNG stations in Sindh, the drivers of coaches, coasters and vans were asking for 100 percent more fares. “The coach owners are charging Rs 400 per passengers for Karachi, Rs 200 per passenger for Hyderabad.”
A similar situation was witnessed on many different routes leading towards Khipro, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Tharparkar and Umerkot and other cities of lower Sindh.
Meanwhile, the transporters were of the view that as their vehicles had been converted to run on CNG and now owing to the closure of gas filling stations, they were running their vehicles on diesel and petrol. “We have to raise the fare during the closure of CNG stations to avoid losses.”
Despite coming to know of the complaints from passengers of getting extra fares, the Sindh Regional Transport Authority officials were not ready to take any action against the transport mafia.
CNG off: fares go up by 100%
