Sindh hasn’t been subjected to CNG load shedding as hard as the rest of the country so we wouldn’t know much but we definitely understand the problems an average public transport commuter suffers, especially today, after sighting lots of public buses stalled on the center of the road because it didn’t have any gas left.
However, while the rest of the country isn’t suffering from target killing hence pillion riding (double sawari) isn’t banned and that’s quite a relief when ordinary commuters can’t get a bus home. Forget rickshaws and taxis because their fare is unregulated and quite exorbitantly priced. I don’t travel through public transport much these days gladly but whenever I do – I take a bus instead of rickshaw or taxi even though a few buses has been fired upon indiscriminately in the current burst of violence.
Gruesome violence in this city has forced people to avoid give lift to stranded passengers of such buses; I won’t even advise to do so either but what one should do when the senses of our policy makers have gone on leave altogether.
A friend of mine hopped into a bus to get to our university from North Nazimabad, the bus ran out of CNG at Hassan Square so he got off and took Bilal Coach which ran out of CNG at Baloch Colony’s bridge but an uncle bestowed his kindness on the young student by providing him a lift to the university.
Much worse awaited the students relying on public buses for their return. I took with me quite a few lads (off my university but they approached me randomly as I was about to start my car in the university’s parking lot) and dropped one off on Drigh road in hope that he’ll find some transport from there to Shah Faisal.
It’s quite stressful for them from the beginning of the day as they remain skeptic about how they are going to go back home, especially if violence breaks out in the city. It will be like getting lost in your own home.
So wouldn’t it be better and wise if instead CNG load shedding was done with a days break between the two and three consecutive CNG holidays that have been implemented. It would enable people to not panic as they can preserve as well as commute without any stress for one day.
