FAISALABAD, March 5: Negligence of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (city) and National Logistic Cell has made the life of transporters and commuters at the general bus stand miserable.

One has to jump over ponds of sewerage water overflowing from choked gutters. Heaps of garbage add to the commuters’ woes. The recent heavy rains flooded the bus stand resulting in innumerable problems for the commuters.

The TMA is duty bound to install de-watering pumps at the bus stand and lift the garbage. The negligence of the TMA authorities can be judged from the fact that not a single sanitary worker has visited the bus stand to lift garbage or arrange de-watering sets.

Ironically, the TMA and NLC authorities, instead of cleaning the stand, asked the transporters to park their vehicles on main road.

Some of the transporters told this correspondent that the TMA’s corrupt officials, in league with the NLC authorities, were creating hurdles in the renovation of the bus stand.

They said bays had been inundated by rainwater for the last couple of weeks. It was impossible to breath due to foul smell emanating from dirty water and garbage, they added.

The construction of bus stand could not be completed even after so many years. A new contract on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis was awarded to the NLC a couple of years ago but it is still under construction. The governor had inaugurated the project.

Interestingly, the NLC immediately after the receipt of formal orders from the TMA started receiving Rs100 from every bus owner as tax without starting construction work. The NLC, according to a rough estimate, had collected over Rs5 million from the transporters in the shape of fee during the last one year. It has also reportedly received Rs10 million from the TMA in advance.

At present, the TMA and NLC jointly collecting ‘tax’ from the transporters at the rate of Rs60 per vehicle per trip without providing a single incentive or facility to the commuters and vehicle-owners.

When contacted, the TMA authorities refused to take any responsibility claiming that the contract had been awarded to the NLC and it should resolve the problems of transporters and commuters.

The NLC personnel on duty at the general bus stand told this scribe that they were duty bound to collect ‘fee’ from the transporters and the provision of facilities was the duty of their bosses.