RAWALPINDI: Bus terminals and the railway station were very crowded on the last working day before Eid as people travelled to their hometowns.

The official holidays for Eidul Fitr start on Friday. Many residents had already left the twin cities earlier in the week as well.

A special train went from Rawalpindi to Multan on Thursday and Pakistan Railways attached six extra carriages to the Green Line to Karachi though there were no special trains for Peshawar and other destinations.

Bus terminals, railway stations crowded with passengers

Passengers faced problems getting trains for Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Khanewal, Rahimyar Khan and other destinations. Tickets had been booked earlier in the month.

Pakistan Railways had announced that senior citizens could travel for free after showing their original CNIC, but no such facility was provided on the Green Line from Rawalpindi to Karachi.

All the seats were pre-booked in Tezgam and no extra coaches had been attached to the train to provide seating for senior citizens.

“This is all just a drama, the announcement that senior citizens will be facilitated,” said 70-year-old Mohammad Qamar, who was standing in line for a ticket to Lahore.

Another senior citizen, Mohammad Farooq said the railway does not facilitate older people and that passengers voluntarily give up their seats, however.

Some passengers pointed out that there are no fans in the coaches attached to trains to Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Multan, especially in the economy class.

“The seats in the extra coaches are broken and people bring sheets to spread on the floor so they can sit,” said Mohammad Sajid, a passenger at the station.

He said the railway authorities should install water coolers in the trains so people do not have to wait till the next station to fill their water bottles and that not all water coolers at various stations are in working condition either.

Pakistan Railways Divisional Commercial Officer Ali Raza told Dawn that the railway authorities had launched a special train between Rawalpindi and Multan and attached extra coaches to the Green Line and other trains from Rawalpindi to Multan and Quetta.

“Each coach can accommodate 54 passengers,” he said.

He said Pakistan Railways is facilitating senior citizens and that a team has been formed to check that they are accommodated. He said fans have been installed in all trains.

After Eid, summer trains will be launched for those who want to go back to their hometowns for the summer holidays, he said.

There were also huge crowds at the bus terminals in Pirwadhai, Soan River, Faizabad and Pirwadhai Mor as people waited for trains to the three provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Many passengers complained that they were being overcharged for their tickets.

Every year, transporters start overcharging and the district administration, the regional transport authority and the traffic police seem to have turned a blind eye to the problem.

“We had to pay Rs1,000 extra for booking seats in a bus for Multan for our family of five. The transporter said this was not the fair and nor was it a bribe, that this was his money for Eid,” said Mohammad Amjad, a passenger at Pirwadhai.

“Transporters carry more passengers that their vehicle is meant to accommodate and instead of 45 passengers, they will carry 60,” said Sohail Niazi, a passenger waiting for a bus to Mianwali.

Zafar Khan, a passenger for Jhang, said transporters pretend as if they are overbooked and then charge extra for the same.

Regional Transport Authority Secretary Khalid Yamin Satti said there are no crowds at the bus terminals and that special squads are deployed at Pirwadhai Mor and Soan Bus Terminal to keep an eye on overcharging.

He said the teams have imposed fines on more than 35 transporters in the garrison city.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2018