ISLAMABAD: Transporters have taken full advantage of the sit-in by a religious group at Faizabad Interchange and have started fleecing commuters by over-charging the public travelling on different routes between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
A resident of Rawalpindi, Hikmat Yar Khan said that the residents were facing difficulties while travelling on local transport. “It is very difficult to go to our offices, especially when transporters are indulged in over-charging commuters,” Khan said.
It was observed that at certain places commuters could be seen exchanging harsh words with drivers and conductors. Tense scenes were created because of the overcharging by transporters, said Abbas Ali, a resident of the federal capital.
It was noted that some transporters had installed some additional seats to place maximum number of people, he said, while adding that, “The transporters were also forcing us to either keep standing or sit on top of roofs to reach our respective destinations.
The commuters at certain locations on different routes urged the authorities concerned to take action against those transporters who were busy in looting people.
A private sector employee, Umer Hayat said, “The non-completion of routes by transporters are causing a lot of problems for those employees who move from Rawalpindi to Islamabad on a daily basis.”
When contacted, Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) spokesman Salman Ali said that extra staff had been deployed at various points to facilitate the road users and to control traffic.
He said commuters could use Peshawar road, Murree road and Double road to reach Islamabad while those heading towards Airport or Koral might use the Lehrer road.
