LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday issued a stern warning against any self-imposed hike in public transport fares, even as the federal government continues its streak of record-breaking increases in petroleum prices.
The move comes at a time when the ruling dispensation finds itself in an awkward paradox: while its leadership frequently occupies international rostrums to sermonise the world on peace and diplomatic stability, the domestic front remains a battlefield of economic survival for the common citizen.
Following a series of consultative meetings, the Punjab Transport Department announced that an agreement has been reached with transport unions to maintain the current fare structure. To ensure this is not merely a verbal pledge, the department has reportedly secured formal affidavits from transporters, legally binding them to the existing rates.
“There will be no increase in public transport fares. Any unilateral decision by transporters to fleece the public will be met with full legal force,” a spokesperson for the provincial government stated.
To enforce the current directive, the Deputy Commissioners and Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs) across the province have been tasked with hit-the-ground monitoring. Officials have been directed to conduct surprise inspections at bus terminals and on highways to ensure that the relief—if it can be called that in an era of hyper-inflation—is actually passed on to the commuters.
However, the ground reality appears to remains fraught with tension.
Transporters argue that while they have signed affidavits, the math of their operations is being decimated by the federal government’s frequent ‘fuel bombs.’ Critics point out the irony of a government that projects itself as a global peacemaker and a beacon of diplomatic maturity, yet fails to provide internal economic peace to its own workforce and middle class.
“It is hard to talk about global harmony when the cost of a commute to work has doubled in a year,” said a commuter at Lahore’s City Terminal. “The government brags about leading the world, but they cannot even lead the local market to stability.”
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