Overloading of passenger carrying vehicles

Dear Sir,
The minibuses (Flying coaches) primarily designed and manufactured for carrying passengers from one place to another are overloaded with tons of goods atop the sunroof putting the lives of the passengers at a great risk. These vehicles having a maximum capacity of lifting the weight of eighteen passengers, quite often succumb to the pressure from excessive freight either resulting in a breakdown of the vehicle or terrible road accidents. Despite all this, the violation of traffic rules goes on unheeded and unabated.

A few days ago, on my way back home I happened to embarked on a rickety vehicle from Kruprisht Bus station (Ada). I was bewildered to find that the driver had already mounted rice bags atop the sunroof and the pile terribly presented a picture of a ridge in the midst of a plateau. After mulling over the perilous situation, I somehow dared ask the driver as to why he was risking the lives of the eighteen passengers. The driver was a true moron and retorted in a fit of anger demonstrating his hate filled displeasure on my protesting at the blatant violation.

In disregard to my objection, the greedy driver started the engine and pulled his bus out of the station looking back at me with contempt as if I had committed some grievous offence. The sound of the engine under the scorching heat of the sun and excessive freight forebode something terrible to happen during the course of our journey on the way between Chitral and Booni. The small village of Kuragh happened to be the final destination where the engine of this ill-fated vehicle gave way; and the passengers including women and children had to get off the vehicle at the order of the maverick driver to look for another vehicle to board on.

This is just one example. There are score of such incidents, some of more perilous nature, happening with passengers travelling to the peripheries of Chitral due to criminal negligence of ill-trained drivers. All this happens under the nose of the traffic police and other law enforcement agencies. It?s high time the concerned authorities took a serious notice of the gross violation of the traffic rules and the violators awarded exemplary punishment. More importantly, the vehicles plying on the roads carrying passengers from one station to another must be passed through fitness test and only after that be issued fitness certificate. .. Khalid Pervaiz, Booni Chitral 11 Jul 2018

One thought on “Overloading of passenger carrying vehicles

  1. The writer has highlighted a serious issue. The Deputy commissioner Chitral, the DPO Chitral and the concerned authorities must look into the matter and deal with violators of the traffic rules with an iron hand.

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