FAISALABAD, March 9: In the wake of increase in prices of petroleum products, public transport owners have enhanced fares by at least 20 per cent without any formal announcement and the government's permission.

A survey conducted by Dawn reveals that taxi and rickshaw drivers are charging 20 per cent higher than they used to ask for a week ago. Similarly, goods transporters have also enhanced their fares on the pretext of high POL prices.

Commuters are complaining that drivers of urban transport service and buses plying on city-to-village routes in the district have been charging Re 1 to Rs2 extra for short distances.

Passengers of other heavy vehicles are also being charged 15 to 20 percent extra. They say the authorities concerned are playing the role of a silent spectator. When contacted, the Faisalabad Transport Federation officials said the government had assured the transport bodies of a reasonable increase in fares a few months ago, but now it was hinting at meagre increase.

KASUR: Travelling by public transport vehicles has become an ordeal for people who have to put up with overloading and overcharging. Reports said more than 21,000 people travel from Kasur to Lahore and other cities for their jobs and businesses.

Scores of coasters, buses and wagons leave the city every day for different destinations. For a Lahore trip, coaches have increased fare from Rs35 to Rs40 without any approval of the authorities concerned.

There are frequent reports of scuffle between conductors and commuters over this issue. Besides overloading and overcharging, vehicles used to violate traffic laws on Lahore-Kasur Road.

Most of the wagons plying on various routes do not have permits, especially Kasur-Raiwind Road, Kasur-Kot Radha Kishan Road and Kasur-Chunian Road, but the police and the motor-vehicle examiner take action against those drivers only who do not grease their palms.

The vehicles that pays bribe have reportedly been given special stickers or receipts for identification. In addition, a number of rickshaws are being run in the city and its rural areas without licences.

When contacted, Regional Transport Authority Acting Secretary Mohammad Ali Bajwa admitted flaws in traffic system and said that the situation could not be controlled or improved without changing the staff. He said he was reviewing traffic problems to improve the system.

Meanwhile, DSP (traffic) Rao Mohammad Asif Zaman denied that police officials were receiving monthly bribe. The police department, he claimed, was facing staff shortage.

He said only two inspectors, seven sub-inspectors, 11 ASIs, 12 head constables and 63 constables were controlling the entire district traffic and when a few of them went to duties for VIPs, the city traffic became a mess. The DSP said he had, time and again, requested the higher authorities to provide the sanctioned strength to improve traffic system.