RAWALPINDI: After the latest surge in the petroleum prices, transporters on Thursday announced plans to go on a strike if the government did not revise the fares.

According to the government decision, diesel price increased from Rs95.83 per litre to Rs98.45 per litre and petrol price from Rs84.51 per litre to Rs88.07 per litre.

“If the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) did not issue a revised fare list within two days, the transporters will go on a wheel jam strike in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” Raja Riaz, the chairman of the United Transport Association, told Dawn.

He said petroleum prices had been increased from Rs62 per litre in March 2017 to Rs88 per litre but the RTA refused to issue a revised fare list for transporters.

He said as per the formula of the government, the fares of public transport would be increased by Rs2 per two km if petrol prices increased by over Rs5 per litre. “Under this formula, the public transport fares should be increased from Rs11 per stop to Rs17 per stop,” he said.

When contacted, RTA Secretary Khalid Yamin Satti said the fares were likely to be increased in a few days.

He admitted that the fares of public transport had not been increased for a year during which the petroleum prices had gone up many times. He said the fares would be increased as per the formula adopted by the government.

He said till the announcement of the new fare list, the RTA would ensure that transporters charged the old fares and the route permits of the violators would be cancelled. He said RTA had formed special teams to check the fares.

On the other hand, the local residents asked the government to withdraw the recent hike.

Rafique Khan, a government employee, said the unprecedented price hike would disturb the quality of common man’s life and increase the prize of vegetables, wheat and transport.

He complained that prices of ata, vegetables, beef and chicken had been increased by vendors while transporters, taxi and rickshaw drivers were also charging more citing the increased petrol prices.

“We will answer the government in the next elections if it did not bring down the prices of petrol and edibles,” said Raja Maqbool, a resident of Murree Road.

He wondered why the government was trying to kill the citizens economically through the unjustified hikes. Now the transporters would be justified in raising in fares.

Zahir Shah, of Iqbal Road, said the hike in petroleum prices lacked justification because oil prices at the international market were falling.

The poor are getting poorer and the rich becoming richer but the government is giving protocol to leaders of the PML-N and PTI as one can see police patrolling around Lal Haveli of Sheikh Rashid and houses of PML-N Mayor Sardar Naseem and others,” he said. He said the government had ignored the socio-economic problems being faced by the citizens.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018