SWABI, Oct 18: Transporters continue to overcharge people on interand intra-city routes without any hesitation during the ongoing Eid holidays, as there is no check from the relevant police and government and the practice is likely to persist till Monday.

Usually, activities of people visiting their relatives and different areas increase during the festival and the rush causes shortage of seats and vehicles.

Majority of people, especially the public and private sector employees, have celebrated Eid with families in their respective towns and they expect to resume their duty in different cities on Monday and till that day the overcharging by transporters is likely to continue.

However, people alleged that transporters had been creating artificial shortage of vehicles, paving the way for overcharging.

To cope with rush of passengers, the transporters have created additional seats in their coaches herding people like animals. Mohammad Zaman of Swabi city said that besides indulging in overcharging the transporters also misbehaved with passengers resisting their illegal demands.

Mr Zaman said that passengers asking for charging of fare according to the official list were warned that they should pay or catch another vehicle.

`When I boarded the coach there was no seat available and the conductor told me to sit behind the driver`s seat on a hot covering of the machinery,` said Sardar Khan of Topi city.

Abdul Basit of Maneri Bala, who was on way to Mardan from Swabi, said that he had to pay double fare though he had to travel on roof of the coach.

Mohammad Irfan of Karnal Sher Kallay said that transporters were also charging double fare on local routes.

Women and children coming out without their male family members were seen waiting for hours at different bus stops during the Eid days.

The people questioned where the officials of provincial and regional transport authorities had gone, noting with surprise that the much-wanted `change` claimed by Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf had not occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In addition, they also raised questions about the role of the district administration and traffic police.

None of the traffic police officials were seen on roads to check overcharging by transporters on interand intra-city routes, they said.

When asked, the transporters blamed the increase in fares on recent increase in prices of petrol, toll charges and spare parts. `Diesel and petrol prices are increased every fortnight and we have no option but to adjust expenditures,` said a coach driver.

When asked, the local traffic police admitted that they had not made any special arrangements for Eid days.