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LAHORE, April 27: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has approved the proposed increase in the fares of inter-city routes by four paisa a kilometre. The air-conditioned public transport vehicles are not included.
Sources in the Punjab Transport Department told this reporter on Tuesday that the notification would be issued in a couple of days. The new fares on metalled, plain kacha and hilly roads will be 37, 38 and 39 paisas a kilometre, respectively.
The department had proposed increase in the fare of inter-city routes on the demand of the transport unions few weeks ago. The unions had demanded the increase of nine paisas a kilometre in the fares of inter-city routes and also on the urban routes. The department, however, refused the increase on urban routes.
Only half-a-dozen written objections were filed with the department by the general public and none appeared in person before the secretary to give suggestions. The applicants have criticized the proposal and asked the department not to increase the fares because the existing ones were already unaffordable for the public.
According to a transport department official, the increase is justified because the petrol and diesel prices have shot up several times during the last one year, but the fares of the inter-city routes remained unchanged.
VEHICLE EXAMINER: The government has formed a committee, comprising the transport department officials, to purchase equipment to strengthen the office of the Motor Vehicle Traffic Fitness Examiner.
Department officials told Dawn on Tuesday that a proposal to privatize the office of the MVTFE had been refused by the provincial cabinet, giving it a chance to improve its working.
The function of the MVTFE had been privatized in 1988 with a view to improving examination of vehicles in the province. As many as 40 companies had then set up their workshops in the Punjab for the job. However, the government had to terminate their contracts after a year on their failure to perform the required job and maintain accounts.
Few government centres are currently functioning with a staff of four at each centre. The examiner inspects each vehicle twice a year before issuing a fitness certificate. Each centre is supposed to inspect approximately 60,000 vehicles a year.
