Violations of SOPs endanger commuters’ lives

Islamabad: Stern action is needed against the local transporters, who are violating anti-coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) at Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) with impunity and posing serious threat to the lives of commuters.

Citizens of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have complained about the slackness of local transporters, who were not ensuring the coronavirus health guidelines at the passenger vans in order to mint money.

Raja Basharat, a resident of Sector G-7, told APP at the Islamabad Expressway that there was no regard of the coronavirus SOPs in passenger vans which was a great cause of concern for the conscious people who had been fully following the health guidelines to protect their own and their family lives.

"Such a non-serious attitude on the part of public and local transporters may result into further spread of the coronavirus cases in the Federal capital," he cautioned, urging the authorities concerned to take cognizance of the situation at the earliest.

Muhammad Aslam, another passenger at Faizabad bus stop, passionately called for provision of hand sanitizers at every terminal to protect the commuters'' lives, besides ensuring mask wearing and physical distancing in each and every van.

He also made passionate appeal to the Islamabad Transport Authority (ITA) for strictly enforcing the anti-coronavirus SOPs at PSVs as currently the vans were stuffed with passengers. Nobody should be allowed to board the vehicle without mask, he added.

When contacted, an official of the ITA said strict action was being taken against the SOPs violators on the regular basis, adding massive awareness drive was launched to educate the drivers about the SOPs.