SWABI, Oct 7: Transporters have accused the tehsil municipal administration of being hand in glove with the contractors in charging extra bus terminal fee from them, saying they were forced to pass on the burden to commuters.

They aired their grievances during a meeting with District Police Officer Mohammad Ijaz Khan here on Friday.

The transporters are learnt to have told the DPO that the fare for Topi was Rs13 but the contactor at the general bus stand charges them between Rs50 and Rs60 per trip.

Similarly, they said, the contractor charged Rs350 for a single trip to Rawalpindi, Rs100 for Mardan and Rs250 for Peshawar, respectively.

The DPO Mohammad Ijaz Khan is said to have directed the city police station SHO to take action against the contractor.

A transporter told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that the contractor was fleecing the public transport owners with the connivance of the local administration.

On the other hand, a TMA official said it was duty of the police to enforce fare of the public transport.

Sources said the TMA was in habit of awarding contracts on higher rates, which forced the contractors to charge extra from the transporters. They said that the local administration had left the commuters at the mercy of the contractors and transporters.

The sources said the administration was also not taking action against transporters for overcharging the commuters.

“Officials, contractors and politicians are one in exploiting the hapless commuters,” commented Qaisar Khan of Maneri Bala. The commuters demanded of the government to keep a check on transporters.

OFFICE-BEARERS:

Haji Rehmanullah was elected unopposed as district president of ANP for the fifth consecutive term on Friday.

It was the first time in the history of the ruling party that five vice-presidents were nominated at an election meeting, which was attended by over 1,000 councillors.Tamrez Khan was nominated general secretary, while Sehryar Khan, Shahid Hamza, Asmatullah Khan, Janas Khan and Malik Jamshid Khan were elected as vice-presidents, respectively.

Mushfiq Khan, Farooq Khan, and Qamar Khan were elected as deputy general secretaries, Haji Gohar finance secretary and Mohammad Islam Khan and Javid Khan as press secretaries.

It was learnt that the Jehan Zeb Khan group stayed out of the election meeting.