The city has started to give a deserted look, as people belonging to outside Lahore have left for their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their families and as the festival coincides with the weekend, the city looks set to remain empty for some days to come.
The mass exodus of nearly three million people, which started on late Saturday, was completed on Tuesday night. It was witnessed that there was no rush on city roads besides business points, bazaars and shopping malls where Eid shopping was going on in full swing. This happens on several occasions during the year especially on Eids, as a number of outsiders settled in Lahore owing to their livelihoods return to their native towns to spend holidays with their dear ones. This time, four official Eid holidays followed by one weekly off day provided a long weekend not only to people hailing from the other districts but also to Lahoris.
Almost half of the people living in Lahore practically belong to other districts and towns and it was their prime wish to be at home on such special occasions. It would be easy to understand that the population of Lahore is about nine million and when over three million return home how the city would look like. A great rush was seen at the railway station, General Bus Stand at Badami Bagh, City Bus Terminal Sikandaria Colony, Shera Kot, Ferozepur Road, Shahdara and Yatim Khana was observed where outsiders were waiting for public transports to leave for their hometowns until late at night.
Keeping in mind the mass exodus, transport owners, who believe in money minting, not only increased fares but limited vehicles also forced commuters to pay extra money to get seats to have a comfortable journey. Transporters exploited the situation in their favour and minted three to four time extra fare from commuters. Passengers complained of being fleeced by transporters, something that is not unusual on this occasion.
Commuters of inter-district routes were helpless and there was no mercy for them at hands of transport owners. People wanted to leave the city with their families but seemed more worried about their comfortable journey, as they were not in a position to travel while facing hardships. Those who could afford overcharging were found purchasing tickets but there were many that registered their protest and complained about this illegal action of transporters. Interestingly, there was not even a single official of the city administration to check the evil of charging.
Representatives of transport authorities, seeking anonymity, said that apparently it seems odd but overcharging is just to cover the expected loss. “Vehicles will return empty so who will compensate transporters”, they questioned. But this justification was not enough to redress complaints but this exercise continued and will remain in practice until Chaand Raat.
