PESHAWAR, April 30: Illegal bus stands are hampering the smooth flow of traffic in the city, transporters and officials say.

Some five years back, four bus stands — Haji Camp, Charsadda Road, Kohat Road and Karkhano market — were set up to cater to the needs of people, but some illegal stands were later established allegedly in collaboration with police officials.

“Despite a bus stand on the Charsadda Road, transporters use the congested Bacha Khan Chowk for parking pick-ups and even buses,” said a transporter.

He said a traffic police station was situated in the same area, but officials did not take any action to stop the illegal parking by public transport, forcing vehicles to move at a snail’s pace.

He said that contractors of the legally-established bus stand were paying huge sum to the government. There is another illegal stand near Shabistan Cinema which deprives the vehicles legally operating from Charsadda Road stand of their share of commuters.

Most of the vehicles operate illegally to bring government employees to secretariat from Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and other districts. Big buses were parked everywhere in the city. Same was the situation at the Karkhano market.

Contractors of the four legal bus stands were worried about their losses. They said that they had been paying hefty amount to the government in the form of taxes, but they were not protected against the illegal stand-owners. “We have given application to all the offices dealing with traffic and transport’s matter. But the situation has gone from bad to worse,” said one contractor.

“We are losing revenue because many of the passengers’ vehicles are not willing to pick passengers from the stands,” they said, adding that drivers prefered to pick passengers from the illegal stands because there they did not have to pay any tax.

Officials said that there were several departments looking into traffic affairs making the situation worse.