KARACHI, Oct 12: The shifting of relief goods from the city to the upcountry for quake-hit victims has become expensive as goods transport operators have enhanced fares due to what they claim is an increased demand and frequent raise in fuel prices.
Most of the goods in the country are transported by road instead of government-run trains.
As diesel prices were frequently increased in the recent past, the transporters, taking the plea, exorbitantly increased their fares as well, besides complaining of a 100 per cent raise in toll tax and unnecessary intervention of police at various places on the way.
Malik Riaz, President of the Pakistan Transport Federation and Coordinator of the Supreme Council of All Pakistan Transporters (SCAPT), said the increase in fares of transportation did not take place soon after the earthquake. “The increase in fares is gradually taking place with increase in diesel prices by the government,” he added.
However, a representative of a non-government organization and a businessman disputed the claim of Mr Riaz and said that transporters had increased fares by more than 100 per cent after the earthquake.
He said a load of truck, which used to charge Rs16,000 to Rs18,000 from Karachi to Mansehra now charged from Rs35,000 to Rs40,000.
He was of the view that goods transporters should have decreased fares on humanitarian grounds as relief goods were being sent to fellow citizens trapped and injured in the devastating quake.
“Why did they think of increasing the fares due to increase in oil prices only after the quake,” he queried.
A visit to the truck stand in Mauripur shows that some transport operators send trucks to the NWFP, some to Punjab and Islamabad, and some to Balochistan.
The transport operators dealing in the NWFP and Kashmir said the routes to Kashmir were closed due to landslides, and it was very difficult to reach there.
A transport operator, Tikka Khan, said he would charge Rs37,000 for a truck load to Mansehra from Karachi.
He said that advanced booking for a truck was not possible even a day earlier. “If anyone comes to us, and if a truck is available, we will lift the goods. One thing is clear and that is that there will be no compromise on the rate,” he said.
Another transport operator, Gul Khan, said a small truck was available for Rs38,000 and a Bedford truck for Rs50,000. He said a 40-ft long container would be charged at Rs75,000. He also said 20-foot containers were hardly available in the market.
Mr Gul said the demand was high and trucks were not available to cater to the demand, which was why the fare rates had been increased.
He said that most truck drivers hailed from the NWFP, northern areas or Kashmir, adding: “Drivers take trucks to Mansehra or northern areas but they do not return as their families had either died, been injured or had gone missing in the devastating quake. Who will bring the trucks back to Karachi?” he questioned.
The shortage of trucks and their increased demand had led to an increase in the fares, he added. Another factor of increase in fares was the frequent increase in diesel prices by the government.
Mr Riaz said the trucks did not want to enter Karachi from the upcountry due to unnecessary intervention by the traffic police. “We have held meetings with the DIG Traffic here and apprised him of our grievances, but the matter has still not been resolved. We cannot grease the palm of police officials as we are not in a position to multiply our profit in the pressing economic situation,” he added.
An office-bearer of the SCAPT, Haji Iqbal, said trucks, heading towards Muzaffarabad from Rawalpindi were intercepted by thugs after they crossed Murree.
“Many of our trucks were stopped by looters at gunpoint, 300 to 500 km before Muzaffarabad. They looted all the relief goods and they took the empty trucks with them,” he disclosed.
Mr Iqbal demanded the government to provide security to the trucks heading towards Kashmir. He said two armed officials in uniform should be provided by law enforcers so that relief goods could be delivered to the needy.
Meanwhile, the Mansehra-bound buses are charging Rs1,000 per passenger for air-conditioned buses and Rs850 per passenger for non-air-conditioned ones.
A passenger at the terminus in Patel Para said a DSP-rank officer had raided moments earlier to check if transport operators were charging as per government-fixed fares. He said a slight increase had taken place, adding that, however, operators had two days earlier, when he had seen off his brother, been charging exorbitantly.
An operator said drivers took the buses and many of them did not return as their families had fallen victim to the earthquake. “Our buses are stuck and we are operating with a fewer buses,” he added.
Mr Iqbal said: “The government fixed rate was 96 paisas per km and we are charging less than the government’s fixed rate.”
He said that since the regular buses did not return, the operators shifted busses, running on various routes, on to the Mansehra route.
He said fully-loaded buses were being taken to Mansehra but they were returning empty inflicting losses on the operators. A similar situation was faced by the buses going to Rawalpindi, he added.