Misery the transporters face
Strange are the ways the governments including that in Jammu and Kashmir is functioning. The officials who are at the helm of decision making sometimes think in isolation and issue orders that attract more questions and sarcasm.
One such decision that has been taken is the hike in passenger fares for public transport. The decision itself did not make any news owing to the present situation that is prevailing here due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
The hike in passenger fare has been made in-case the public transport is allowed to run with limited seating capacity so that the transporters can come over the loses of running the vehicles with limited seat capacity.
The order in itself reflects ignorance. The cost of petrol and diesel has increased by almost 16 percent during the last two weeks. The hike is continuously being witnessed since the past 14 days with the Union government announcing a rise everyday, though the cost of crude oil is witnessing a slump across the globe.
However, what we intend to discuss here is not the oil price hike or the passenger fare, but the pathetic conditions the 1.5 lakh families dependent on public transport sector are facing and living through with every passing day.
The transport sector in Kashmir has been witnessing a total neglect. The entire sector has been hit hard by the turbulent times since the past three decades now. And the past ten months since August 5, 2019 have tested their nerves.
Kashmir has almost 60,000 commercial transport vehicles that ply on various routes, ferrying public passengers on normal days. More than 1.5 lakh people including vehicle owners, drivers and conductors earn their livelihood from this sector.
But ironically, these more than 1.5 lakh families have witnessed a complete disregard from the government. The August 5 lockdown was weighing quite heavily on the sector and the Covid-19 lockdown broke the backbone of this sector.
The drivers, conductors and owners of the public transport vehicles have been living on the brink with no one, baring a few philanthropists coming forward to offer some help though to a limited few.
But most of them are living their lives under the shadow of debt raised from friends and extended family during the last three months and no one has been coming forward to offer a helping hand.
The transporters have been raising their concerns and recently they asked for financial relief from the government as well, but so far they have got mere assurances as the government has failed to address their concerns.
In-fact the government has ordered a hoist, as most of the charges including token taxes and other fee has been raised making things more complicated and painful for the transporters.
KV Network
