Varan strikes become a regular phenomenon in Pindi, Islamabad
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Everyday strikes or arbitrary closure of service by the Varan Tours management on one pretext or the other has become a regular phenomenon, which ultimately creates troubles for the common commuters, writes noted columnist Mohammad Saleem Shahid.

Those who suffer most are primarily the civil servants, students and daily wage earners besides patients, who are unable to reach hospitals. Rather some view the unilateral closure of service as a blackmailing tactic by the Varan Tours management to pressurize the district government to get their demands accepted. In the process, it punishes the commuters!

The ongoing strike has left commuters of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in tremendous difficulties for the last four days as few other means of transport were available after the Regional Transport Authority, Rawalpindi had handed over all the lucrative routes to the bus company thus creating a monopoly of the Varan Tours in the twin-city transport sector.

Due to the strike, commuters of twin cities kept waiting for a long time for transport. Finding no place in vans, most of commuters had to hire taxies, which overcharged them. Over 50,000 commuters, travelling daily between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, were thrown into chaos. The chilly weather further hampered their movement.

“In the recent accident, a man was run over by a Varan bus near Shamsabad on Murree Road four days ago. While taking pre-emptive measures, the Varan went on strike so that their buses could remain safe from any possible damage due to public agony. The Varan’s strike is based on false pretext that students damage buses frequently. So far, over 40 men have lost their lives due to rash driving of Varan’s buses,” said Asif Khan, a student in Rawalpindi.

Commuters have many grievances relating to high fares and Varan’s monopoly over many routs in the twins cities for many months hence commuters are left with no other choice but to travel by the company buses. Quality of services is very poor and commuters are forced to pack in buses like animals, they said.

“The Regional Transport Authority should take appropriate action and encourage other private transport facilities so that commuters have choices and competitive transport services are available.

Varan should also revise the fare structure while considering the average commuters. The transport authorities should also impress upon the company buses to observe safety standards,” said Nazim Hussain, a civil servant in Islamabad.

Deploring the unannounced strike by the Varan, Shaukat Ali, a resident of Amarpura said that the twin-city commuters had faced great hardship for the fourth consecutive day on Friday because of the unilateral stoppage of the bus service.

“Unfortunately, the Varan transport company manages complete monopoly on this route that is why it has kept its buses off the road following an incident of protest and violence made by the general public when a bus driver ran over a motor cyclist under the wheels of the bus and injured another. In a state of anger the people set the bus on fire and stoned the other till the police brought the situation under control. It is really deploring in the part of the Varan,” he said.

Jahanzeb, a waiting commuter at Aabpara says that, “it is a pity to assign all routes to a single transport company hence the masses have left with no other option ultimately compelling them to travel on Varan buses either standing on foot or hanging at the stairs from the day a franchise agreement reached with the said company. The authorities concerned should help the masses in getting them rid of this menace as the bus company has caused immense problems for them.”

“Though the ongoing strike by the Varan staff has created problems for the people of the twin cities but in fact the Varan buses should be banned which kill citizens every now and then.

Varan bus service is not satisfactory and the government should allow at least two bus companies along with wagons to ply simultaneously on different twin-city routes thus creating a competitive atmosphere,” said Mohammad Nawaz, a businessman in Rawalpindi.

It may be mentioned here that Varan Tours, a franchised bus service, with a fleet of 150 buses plies on various twin-city routes. It was licensed as the only transport concern in private sector to run transport business in the twin cities.●