KOHAT: The public transporters association has rejected the fares fixed by the Regional Transport Authority, terming them irrational, and has allowed the transporters to charge Rs30 to Rs35 more from the passengers on all the routes.

Jan Mohammad, the association’s president, told Dawn that the RTA should revise the fares according to the surge in prices of CNG and toll tax because they could not bear losses.

To a question that the railcar charged Rs100 less on the Rawalpindi route he said it ran on diesel and took hundreds of passengers at a time in several coaches which divided the fare. Besides, he said there was no toll tax on it.

Mr Mohammad regretted that they had conveyed their reservations to the administration time and again but to no avail.

On inter-district routes, the RTA has fixed Rs108 for Peshawar, Rs210 for Rawalpindi, Rs188 for Bannu, Rs108 for Karak, Rs115 for Shakardarra, Rs384 for DI Khan, Rs153 for Thall, Rs81 from Hangu to Thall, Rs66 from Karak to Bannu, Rs230 from Karak to Peshawar. The fares have been fixed at the rate of Rs1.53 per kilometre.

On intra-district routes, fares have been fixed from Rs4 to Rs62 on Rawalpindi, Bannu, Peshawar and Hangu roads.

Arab Jan, in-charge traffic wardens, when contacted, told Dawn that the RTA while fixing the fares had not considered toll tax and the recent hike in CNG. He said traffic wardens could not fine transporters because their demands were genuine and moreover they had also threatened complete strike. In fact people have no other choice but to pay the high fares, he said.

YOUNG DOCTORS’ PROBLEMS: President of young doctors association, Dr Javeria Hayat Khan has expressed deep concern over the dilapidated condition of quarters of the house officers and faulty generator in the Liaquat Memorial Hospital.

She visited the hospital along with the association’s vice president Dr Mumtaz Khan and secretary general Dr Fawad Khan on the invitation of young doctors who had been complaining about facing problems for many months. She regretted that the young doctors were living and performing their duties amid excessive electricity loadshedding, absence of drinking water and the faulty generator.

They took up the matter with medical superintendent Dr Gul-i-Rana and deputy medical superintendent Dr Gul Khan who told them that due to shortage of funds they could not resolve the doctors’ problems. They said despite several applications to the health department the required funds were not provided.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2019