MUZAFFARGARH, July 30: Owners of public transport vehicles have enhanced fares on their own in the wake of increase in diesel and petrol prices without any government notification revising fares and on many routes they are charging more than 100 per cent the prescribed fare.

The people of this area now prefer travelling on trains, as railways fares are still considered comparatively cheaper than those of buses and vans.

“The government has not only lost its writ in tribal areas, but on transporters as well, who are looting people openly,” a commuter travelling from Muzaffargarh to Multan on a van told this correspondent.

The conductor was charging from every passenger Rs40 fare, which was Rs25 just a couple of weeks ago. According to Regional Transport Authority (RTA) officials, the prescribed fare was 60 paisas per kilometre throughout the district.

Multan is 30 kilometres away from Muzaffargarh and prescribed fare is Rs17 but vans and bus conductors are fleecing passengers Rs40 per head.

Similarly, prescribed fare from Muzaffargarh to Kot Addu is Rs30 but conductors charge Rs60 per head while Rs100 per head is being charged for the 75-kilometre Muzaffargarh-Alipur journey.

One can see passengers and conductors busy in argument and sometimes in scuffles while travelling from Muzaffargarh to Mutlan, Kot Addu, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan and Alipur destinations.

Malik Akbar Ali, a bus owner, said they were finding it hard rather impossible in the wake of unprecedented hike in petroleum prices to ply their vehicles and charge prescribed fares determined much ago and which have become irrational.

When this correspondent visited the city’s main wagon stand in Committee Chowk, he found many passengers complaining against overcharging by conductors.

Railways fares are yet thought cheaper than those of the public transport. For example, Muzaffargarh to Multan railway fare is Rs15 and Muzaffargarh to Kot Addu is Rs35. This has persuaded many people to start preferring train journeys again.

A Muzaffargarh Railway Station official told Dawn on telephone that number of train passengers had increased manifold in the past several days.

He said he did not have any precise data regarding the number of passengers but he had witnessed a considerable increase in their numbers.

However, scarcity of trains plying between different destinations and their odd timings are again discouraging the increasing number of passengers.

Four trains arrive at Muzaffargarh Railway Station and depart for their destinations but each with an interval of around four to five hours. Bilal Express arrives at 7:30am to leave for Kot Addu, Mari Indus Express at 10am, Mehr Express at 5pm and Chiltan Express at 11pm.

RTA Secretary Atta-ul-Haq told Dawn that the government had not increased any fares.

Though the prices of petroleum products had gone up, the transport owners should have run their vehicles according to the prescribed fares instead of enhancing the same on their own, he added.

He said he would take appropriate action if he received any complaint of overcharging against any transport owners.