Author Topic: Non-availability of buses to students of University of Karachi  (Read 1060 times)

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Non-availability of buses to students of University of Karachi
« on: February 27, 2009, 08:46:15 AM »
Non-availability of buses to students of University of Karachi

 Students stranded as drivers grind point service to a halt

Karachi:The non-availability of buses to students of University of Karachi (KU) for three-and-a-half days last week enraged regular commuters of the university bus service. Though the service resumed earlier this week, the majority of students feel that the university has betrayed them by not providing conveyance to them.

I am pained by the lack of empathy shown by teachers and officials. Those who have their own transport, or those who can afford rickshaws and taxis, are not affected. It is the poor and lower middle class students who bear the brunt of bus service cancellation,said Samina Khan of Physiology Department.

The bus service was suspended after a bus driver was allegedly beaten up by a lab assistant from the Department of Zoology, Hameed Hussain, and students supposedly from the Punjabi Student Association. The driver had to be hospitalised since he sustained serious injuries.

Hussain had a personal feud with the driver Nazeer, and sought help from these students, who had their own grievances against the drivers for not stopping the bus at the Wireless Gate near Malir Halt. The drivers claim that the bus is already so crowded that there is usually no room for additional students.

We have nothing to do with the mishandling of the driver, but we became victims of a weak administration that is unable to rise to the occasion, take swift action against the offenders without jeopardising the interests of the students, said Haris Khan of the Chemical Engineering Department.

Ayesha Khan, of the same department, who takes two public buses to get to the varsity and then walks from the Maskan Gate to her department, reiterated the same point. Students are the most important aspect of any university; however, the KU seems to be an exception to that rule. While I do not support violence, I disapprove being hijacked by a few students and a driver. It would have been better if the university had separated the issues of the students/driver and that of 24000 students, she complained.

Dr Zulqarnain Ahmed Shadaab, KU Transport in-charge, said that it was normal for large organisationsto face such problems. According to him, only 22 per cent students use the point buses, and thus only a majority of students was affected by the suspension of bus services. My conscience is clear. Yes, some students faced hardships, however, we had no control over the events. We spoke to the employees union and persuaded them to end their strike but nothing happened. I think we tried our best and handled the situation in the best possible manner, he persisted.

Karachi University Employees Union (KUEU) General Secretary, Fareed Ahmed, was adamant that the situation went from bad to worse because of the lukewarm reaction from the KU administration. I was under pressure from the drivers and conductors to punish the culprits who had manhandled the driver. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Pirzada Qasim, was in Islamabad, so the problem was not resolved until his return, he explained. Ahmed said that he was sorry that thousands of students had suffered because of a few students and drivers.

The drivers, according to a university official, had demanded two Rangers on guard duty for every bus, and had also said that students should be accommodated on the basis of seats. However, both these demands were considered unfeasible and were duly rejected.

Meanwhile, the KU Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr Akhlaq Ahmed, appeared to be clueless about the absence of buses for the students for three and a half days. We had tried to handle the situation and did it fairly well, he stated.
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