HYDERABAD, July 5: The intercity bus terminal here has been tense for several days because of alleged violation in collection of parking fee by a contractor. The contract’s terms and conditions say that the contractor could not charge buses and coaches more than Rs100 as parking fee, but the contractor’s employees were allegedly charging them between Rs800 and Rs1,000 per vehicle. A scuffle between the contractor’s men and a bus owner took place a couple of days ago, leading to registration of an FIR at the Bhittai Naggar police station.

About 175 buses leave for Karachi from the terminal every day. Each bus has about three minutes for picking passengers for which they are charged between Rs800 and Rs1,000 by the contractor.

“They have been harassing bus drivers and forcing us to pay Rs800. If we do not oblige them we are not allowed a stop of more than three minutes,” said the owner of a coach.

On Sunday a scuffle broke out between Mohammad Rafiq and the contractor when the former refused to pay more than Rs100 ‘as prescribed in the contract’.

He lodged an FIR against Malik Sajjad, Malik Fateh and Mohammad Younus who were said to have won the contract in an open auction.

Windowpanes of a coach were also smashed, and a conductor, Abdul Waheed, received injuries.

Bhittai Naggar police picked up Younus and Malik Sajjad. However, the SHO of Bhittai Nagar, Raza Mari, denied having arrested anyone.

In charge of the terminus, Naveed Khan, told Dawn that the allegations of overcharging were being made by those who had the contract last year but failed to win it this year.