The train operations partially resumed on Wednesday to facilitate people on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr, however inter-city transporters refused to run buses until what they said the announcement of a countrywide uniform standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the National Coordinating Committee (NCC).
Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed told reporters at Rawalpindi Railway Station that trains have started their journey from several stations including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Quetta. He thanked the governments of the four provinces, particularly Sindh, for extending cooperation to restore the train operations. He said all the arrangements have been finalized to resume train operations and the divisional superintendents have been directed to strictly implement the SOPs.
The minister announced that the online booking of train tickets will be stopped one or two hours before departure of the train to facilitate the passengers. Moreover, booking for the trains will be made only through online ticketing service, while the booking offices will be opened after Eid, he said. He said the divisional superintendents have been directed to implement the SOPs in letter and spirit and no one should be allowed to flout the rules. The railways has decided to run the trains at 60 per cent occupancy to maintain social distancing and there is no increase in fare, he said. “Pakistan Railways has already reduced the train occupancy more than Britain and India. They are running trains at 70 percent occupancy,” he said, adding that special cleanliness arrangements have also been made at all the railway stations.
He warned that no violation of SOPs will be tolerated and any such instance will result in action against the officers concerned. “We will review the situation and if everything goes well, then we will restore more trains from June 1,” he announced, and also appealed to the passengers to follow the SOPs and travel only when extremely necessary.
Meanwhile, transporters across country set up a Public Transport Action Committee on Wednesday and said that they will not resume inter-city transport operations until the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) issues joint and uniform standard operating procedures for public transport across the country.
A meeting of transporters of the four provinces was held in Lahore in which it was noted that there is ambiguity in the SOPs of public transport in each province.
The transporters reiterated that the NCOC should negotiate with the action committee and issue uniform and unanimous SOPs valid across country, and warned that otherwise, they will not resume transport services till Eid and even after, “since it is impossible to run transport operations under the current precautionary measures issued by the government.”
Earlier on Sunday, a detailed notification was issued outlining protocol for inter-city transport after an outcry by transport owners in Punjab over lack of collaboration on SOPs and reduced fares announced by the government. The notification contained directives for owners of buses and mini buses, terminals, passengers, drivers and conductors.
Earlier, the Sindh Intercity Bus Association had warned the provincial government that they would start their services on their own if not allowed to resume operations after May 20. President Sindh Intercity Bus Association Rab Nawaz had said that if the government tried to forcibly stop them, they would park their vehicles on roads in Karachi and hold a protest. The Sindh government had later announced that the transporters would be allowed to operate their buses three days after Eid.
