‘Massive Migration’ for Eid Gathers Momentum

Likelihood of Eid-ul-Fitr on August 31 makes people rush back homewards, transporters start overcharging

As few days are left for the Eid-ul-Fitr, people living in the twin-cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have started going back to their home towns and a huge rush is being observed in the vehicles while people are compelled to pay double the routine fares to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones.

The transporters are not only charging ‘double fare’ but they have also put stools in their vehicles instead of seats because they want to earn the most out of it. They are availing the opportunity while overcharging and exploiting ordinary people.

“I am going to Peshawar to my home town and when I reach Pirwadhi bus stand the drivers have almost doubled the fares debasing the people. They are overburdening their vehicles while nobody is keeping check on them,” Kashif Munir a passenger said while talking to this scribe.

Looting and overcharging has always been in practice of various transporters but there are some events when they earn a huge amount of money by fleecing people during Gas Load Management, during vacations, Eid-ul-Azha and Eid-ul-Fitr.

There is no such organization which should make sure the charges of transportation especially during the above mentioned events. Of course, the traffic police stand in every nook and corner but they themselves are helpless to control this mal-practice of looting ordinary people.

People living far away from their homes when reminded of Eid, they become very much excited but when they reach various Stands (bus, van, and railway stations), they remember the debasing and problems while travelling and get sad.

Still Eid is a few days away but various transport stations are full of the passengers who are craving hard to reach their homes but are unable to get seats easily. Young people somehow can adjust themselves to these difficulties of waiting and not getting a seat in the vehicle but the big problem is for children, aged people and especially for the ladies who cannot wait in this hot and humid weather conditions. These problems are making people forget the excitement of Eid and drop the very idea of visiting hometowns, altogether.