SWABI: Office-bearers of the public transporters’ association, Swabi chapter, on Wednesday threatened to block the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway if the authorities concerned did not withdraw the decision of not allowing passenger vehicles running on CNG to ply on the motorway till Friday.

Addressing a news conference at the press club here, they said transporters had also blocked the motorway at the Swabi interchange on Monday, but no one came forward to listen to their problem.

Waqif Khan, president of the association, rejected the decision of the National Highways and Motorways Police that passenger coaches running on CNG won’t be allowed on the motorway after a recent blast in a vehicle in Punjab.

He said local transporters couldn’t afford to operate on petrol or diesel.

Flanked by other office-bearers of the body, Waqif said they were already facing financial stress because prices of spare parts and other expenditures had soared.

He said that it would also be very difficult for passengers to pay increased fares.

He said the authorities had also increased the toll tax by 100 per cent, and demanded bringing it back to the previous level.

Ayaz Khan, vice-president of the association, said the government should allow them to operate on CNG, and if they were not allowed to run on gas then the fares should be increased to help them make up for the petrol and diesel cost.

Meanwhile, commuters belonging to various areas of the district demanded of the traffic police to take action against rickshaw drivers for overcharging them.

Talking to reporters, they said petrol price had been reduced by a fair margin, but despite that the rickshaw drivers were overcharging them. They said they had lodged various complaints with the traffic police, but they were unmoved.

Ubaid Khan, a resident, said he and his mother were charged Rs50 each by a rickshaw driver from Swabi bus stop to Naro Kallay bus stop instead of Rs30.

When contacted, traffic police officials told Dawn that action would be taken against the drivers of three-wheelers involved in overcharging commuters.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024