The residents of Bhara Kahu who commute between their homes and the capital city on a daily basis face a lot of difficulty thanks to the poor transport system coupled with indifference on the part of the traffic police towards their plight. The men, women and children who travel by public transport from Bhara Kahu to Islamabad have to wait for a long time because of a lack of vans on Route No 127.
“There is no shelter for us at the so-called bus stop at Bhara Kahu,” said Iram Naz who works in a private organization in Islamabad. Traffic problems are numerous but none from the authorities is taking care of them. The commuters are disappointed with the traffic police who take no interest in resolving their problems. Nobody cares for why bus stops are so crowded and why there is a shortage of vans.
According to the Islamabad Transport Authority, 55 vans ply on Route No 127. The vans usually get overloaded at the main stop (Bhara Pull) of Bhara Kahu and move non-stop, ignoring the other five stops, through to Islamabad. All this creates problems for the commuters. Some people demand cancellation of the route permits of the drivers resorting to overloading so that the poor commuters could take a sign of relief.
The residents of Bhara Kahu have urged the authorities to provide all the bus stops with proper shelters as only two out of six have this facility. Tasneem Akhtar, a student, told Pakistan Today, “I have been waiting for a van here for half an hour in such a hot whether and since I am fasting too, I can’t brave the elements long enough.” She said the van did come after 15 to 20 minutes, but with no space for passengers.
In addition, there were no special seats for female passengers. Over 20 to 25 people, including women, stood the at Aabpara van stop waiting anxiously for a van to return home just before sunset. People at the bus stop complained that due the poor public transport system they had no alternative but to travel by taxis, but the taxi drivers, taking undue advantage of the situation, fleeced them.
A senior traffic police official told Pakistan Today that they had done a lot to solve the problems being faced by commuters from Bhara Kahu. He said efforts were being made to address people’s grievances.
