PESHAWAR, Dec 15: The residents of Hayatabad Township are facing hardship at the hands of minibus drivers who charge them full fare for their last destination but alight them outside the township to board another vehicle.

Taking notice of the commuters’ plight, Mohammad Nawab  Khattak, Nazim of Union Council Hayatabad-1, asked the traffic police to take action against all those transporters who were violating the law. He said the transporters had been left free to fleece the commuters on University Road and Township.

Speaking to the area councillors, he said the drivers, who held the  route permits of the Hayatabad Township, used to alight  the passengers near the Intermediate Board outside the Township from where they have to take another vehicle to reach their homes.

Mr Khattak said the schoolgoing children, women and government employees  had to suffer when they returned homes. This  unlawful and inhuman practice had been going on for the last one year, but the government was not taking any action to solve it, he added.

The women councillors spoke at length on the high-handedness of the drivers, who after alighting passengers forcibly returned  to the bus-stand to make another trip.

They said they had lodged a number of complaints with the local police, but they expressed their helplessness to take any  action against them. “The do not come under our jurisdiction,” the police told them.

Mr Khattak urged the government to solve this problem otherwise they would solve the problems with the support of residents.