Passengers allege overcharging by public transport operators in Anantnag
Seek authorities’ intervention, redressal of public grievance
Anantnag: Passengers travelling on various public transport routes in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district have alleged that several passenger vehicle operators are charging fares higher than those notified by the Transport Department, placing an additional financial burden on daily commuters.
According to commuters, the alleged overcharging is particularly common on the busy Anantnag–Pahalgam route, besides several intra-town and local routes where hundreds of people, including students, office-goers, traders and labourers, depend on public transport every day.
Passengers said that despite the Transport Department having fixed fare rates for different routes, some operators are allegedly demanding excess charges without issuing any receipts or displaying the approved fare chart inside their vehicles.
“We travel every day for work and education, and even a small increase in fare affects our monthly expenses. Operators should strictly follow the fares approved by the Transport Department instead of charging passengers arbitrarily,” said Abdul Rashid Ganaie, a commuter from Anantnag.
Another passenger, Shabir Ahmad, said commuters often have no option but to pay the higher fare. “People are left helpless because public transport is limited on some routes. We request the authorities to conduct surprise inspections and take action against those violating the prescribed fare rules,” he said.
Several passengers said that regular enforcement drives are needed to prevent such practices and to ensure transparency in fare collection. They also demanded that fare lists be prominently displayed inside all passenger vehicles so commuters can verify the approved rates.
The aggrieved commuters have appealed to the Transport Commissioner, Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kashmir, Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Anantnag, and senior transport officials to immediately look into the matter.
They urged the authorities to intensify inspections, verify fare compliance, penalise violators and ensure that passengers are charged only the government-approved fare.
An official in the Transport Department said that overcharging passengers is a violation of transport regulations and that strict action can be initiated against operators found violating the notified fare structure.
He urged commuters to report such incidents with details of the vehicle registration number and route to enable the department to take appropriate action.
