Students Dow University of Karachi forced to pay double fare for new point service
Karachi:Students at the constituent colleges of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) are being forced by the administration to pay triple the amount of fares as compared to rates charged by other public sector universities for their transportation services.
The bus service to and from university, also known as point service, was previously all but free, but according to new directives, students at Dow Medical College (DMC) and Sindh Medical College (SMC) will pay Rs16 a day from May 2. The News has learnt that the raise in fare is double that charged by other government universities in the city, including the University of Karachi and the NED University of Engineering and Technology, both of which charge students five rupees and six rupees, respectively, for their bus service.
Students at both DMC and SMC have refused to comply with what they term is a sudden and unaffordable rise, and claim this is another one of the universitys tactics for making them pay. We now have to register to be able to use the new points, DMC and SMC students told The News.
The original point-bus service was halted by the university on Tuesday for 15 days on the pretext that they were in poor condition. Students were then informed that they would have to get themselves registered to use the new buses from May 2 at a cost of Rs2,500 per semester.
The proposal met strong opposition by the students at both colleges last month when DUHS issued a notification of the change. Students were also verbally informed of the decision, after which they thronged the offices of their principals in protest. We told the principal both verbally and in writing that we cannot afford the new fare, said a DMC student. However, the principal replied that the matter was decided and that the fare would not be reduced.
Despite the discontentment of the students, notification of the new buses and their subsequent fare was followed by a distribution of registration forms and vouchers.
We were told to submit the forms to the administration in a week, but most of us didnt follow the deadline, said an SMC student. Along with other students in his class, he also complained to one of their teachers about the rise, arguing that it did not equal the fare charged by other public universities.
Students from the class later informed the principal that they would not get registered for the new buses. Very few forms were submitted, and the administration feared that their scheme would fail, which is why they have closed the present point-bus service, the student said.
The original bus service, which was closed down on Tuesday without prior notification, comprised 13 buses for DMC students and six buses for SMC students, all of which are rusted and overcrowded. Just a few months ago, a third-year DMC student fell off one of the buses and sustained serious injuries, an incident that students can still recall with dread. Despite this, however, future doctors would still travel on the decrepit university buses instead of public transport, as the latter costs at least Rs30 a day both ways.
