People complain of high fares, lack of proper transportation facilities
Thousands of people have started leaving for native hometowns and villages on Friday to celebrate Eidul Adha with their families but there are chances that the roads and street would be completely empty of the city’s guests by Monday night as many of them are still to complete their business here.
Factory workers, university and college students and government employees leave the city for their respective cities and villages twice a year.
It is estimated that more than 4 million people leave Lahore twice in a year on Eid ul Fitr and Eidul Adha.
The federal and Punjab government have announced three holidays, from Monday to Wednesday, but a majority of the government employees will enjoy five days holidays, from Saturday to Wednesday, by taking one or two vacations from their respective departments.
The Lahore Railways Station was jam-packed with passengers while passengers were unable to book tickets on buses either. On this Eid, Pakistan Railways is also operating eight special trains to facilitate passengers from different city stations including Lahore to cater to heavy rush of commuters. PR officials told Pakistan Today that booking on special trains had already completed after the PR announced these special trains while booking for regular train also completed last week. They further said PR has also decided to move extra couches with trains to accommodate extra passengers.
Following the mass exodus, a huge rush was also witnessed at key bus stands of the city including Lorry Adda, City District Bus terminal and all other private bus stand. At most of the bus stands, commuters were found complaining against transporters for overcharging despite strict warning of city administration.
The transporters say they have to come back to Lahore with empty buses and these minor contributions from all commuters will help them cover their loss.
Heavy rush was also seen at some of the city’s exit points as many transporters prefer to carry the commuters instead of entering into the city.
People were also seen complaining about the lack of facilities at the bus terminals, adding that the security arrangements were more of a hurdle than help.
