Back to work: non-natives start arriving as Eid holidays end
Pakistan
Railway stations, bus terminals witness great rush of passengers
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Eid holidays have come to an end. People living in their hometowns start arriving in the cities where they work. A great rush of them is witnessed at bus terminals and railway stations.
Their journey from hometowns to workplaces and vice versa is not free from hassle, particularly for those who use public transports.
Overloading of passengers and high fares of transports, particularly during special events is a perpetual problem, which neither the government nor the transport owners bother to resolve.
I left my village to catch my bus scheduled to leave the terminal at 6pm, but it started its journey at 9pm – three hours late – due to a great rush of passengers, a teacher said while talking to Dunya News, at Badamibagh Lorri Adda.
“I don’t it is right to put all blame on transport owners for overloading of passengers. Shortage of buses leads to overloading and overcharging.
“The government does not take the issue seriously. It cannot take drastic measures against transport mafia because most of the transport owners are sitting in assemblies,” another passenger said.
“It is good news that the Punjab Chief Minister has taken notice of overloading of passengers and high fares of buses. But it should not be merely a notice. There should be something practical,” a non-native resident said.
During Eid holidays, shopkeepers cashed in on the absence of officials responsible for monitoring prices and charged exorbitant prices for edibles, particularly meat, chicken, fruit and vegetables.
During these days, every shopkeeper has his own rates. There was a big difference in rates of chicken. Some were selling the commodity at Rs850 per kg, at Rs750 and at Rs700. This stark difference pestered the consumers who could be seen lashing out at the authorities concerned for their failure to control the prices.
