RAWALPINDI: The ticketing staff of metro bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Monday observed a strike over non-payment of their three months’ salaries and closed the counters, creating problems for travellers.

They, however, opened ticketing counters in the evening after they were assured by the administration of a private company and Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA) to clear their dues as soon as possible. PMA has outsourced ticketing, sanitation, operational and security services to private companies.

Sources told Dawn that the private company, Inbox, which deals with ticket collecting services for Metro in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, did not get a payment of Rs70 million from PMA since the last two months and thus it failed to pay salaries to staff.

They said the provincial government delayed the subsidy payment to PMA which is why it failed to transfer the payment to the private company for its services. The government had created a procedure for providing subsidy to PMA but it created a problem after three months.

Earlier, in January, another strike was observed by ticket collectors and drivers as well as security. Officials said that the same situation will emerge in the future also if the government did not devise a plan to simplify the procedure.

The Punjab government is giving a subsidy of Rs2 billion per year to maintain the daily fare of passengers at Rs30 per person.

PMA General Manager (Operation) Uzair Shah told Dawn that the PMA would transfer the payment to the company on May 25 (today) and the matter of payment to the employees would be solved.

He said it was the responsibility of the private company to pay the salaries of its staff after it receives dues of Rs70 million from the authority. “We are paying Rs35 million per month to the company for subsidy,” he said.

Due to suspension of the service, passengers faced hardship after finding the ticketing booths in the metro stations closed.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2021