KARACHI, Jan 23: The Sindh transport department succumbed to the pressure of transporters on Friday and issued a notification raising the public transport fares.
According to a handout issued by the information department, in exercise of the power conferred by the section 45(II) of the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, and in suppression of all previous notifications issued in that regard, the government of Sindh has refixed the maximum rates for public transport.
The notification states that now the buses will charge Rs5 up to 5 kms, Rs6 up to 10 kms, Rs7 up to 15 kms and Rs7.50 up to 30 kms. Students will be charged 50 per cent of the normal fare.
Mini buses will charge Rs6 up to 5 kms, Rs7 up to 10 kms and Rs8 from 15 to 30 kms and above. Coaches will charge Rs10 up to 10 kms and Rs11 for above 10 kms.
It says that the minimum fare of Rs3 will continue to be charged by inter-city, stage carriage vehicles for intermediary stops. The revision of fares is subject to the conditions that transporters shall replace old smoke-emitting vehicles and make their vehicles environment friendly, avoid overloading of passengers and whenever the prices of POL are lowered there will be proportionate reduction in the fare rates, the notification concludes.
Following the increase in public transport fares, transporters on Friday called off their strike for Saturday. Both the groups of transporters, however, demanded that the oil companies advisory committee be disbanded and the petroleum prices be fixed for a certain period.
The Karachi Transport Ittehad chief, Irshad Bokhari, said the KTI had called off the strike, but reiterated the demand to disband the advisory committee. "Every fortnight fluctuation in the petroleum prices has disturbed us and we want the prices be fixed for at least six months. We do not want an increase in fares as people have to face the impact", he said.
Chief of the National Transport Ittehad, Saleem Khan Bangash, said that the NTI had suspended its strike call for the time being as it had demanded an increase of Rs2 per stage but the government had raised only Rs1 per stage. He urged the government to further increase the fares.
The Sindh government had earlier revised transport fares on Feb 28, 2003. Following reduction in petroleum and diesel prices to Rs19 per litre, the decision was reversed on April 20, 2003.
After an increase in the diesel prices by the Oil Companies Advisory Committee on Jan 15, transporters threatened to observe a strike on Jan 24.