LAHORE – Around three million homebound people left the provincial capital on Thursday, amid the thriving businesses of the transporters, to enjoy the Eidul Azha with their near and dear ones at their homes.  The entrance and exit points of the provincial metropolis witnessed huge rush and long queues of private and public vehicles which caused traffic jam for hours. Passengers remained stranded for two to three hours at Thoker Niaz Beg bypass, Sherakot, Ravi Toll Plaza and at Kasur Road and complained about the failure of traffic enforcement agencies to manage the passage. The Eid exodus partially started on Sunday and will complete today (Friday) morning, however, the mass departure was witnessed on Thursday. Those who left Lahore on last couple of days were included workers at industrial units, university students, those businessmen whom business is not related to Eid, owners of small hotels and restaurants and labourers. Among the large number of passengers who left the city on Thursday included the government officials and their families. They went to their homes after drawing salaries from banks. About one third residents left to their native towns from colonies like Model Town, Johar Town, Allama Iqbal Town, Gulsham Ravi, Township, Green Town, etc. People who do businesses or working class and belong to nearer cities of Lahore like Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Sialkot, Kasur, etc would leave Lahore on Friday midnight or during dawn. They prefer to stay in city on ‘moon night’ to earn livelihoods for their families. The city will give empty look on Eid days until the outsiders start coming back in next week. The roads of Lahore would remain comparatively calm on Friday (today). Thursday was the day when great rush was witnessed at city bus terminals and Lahore Railways Station. The transporters, taking full benefit of the situation, and as usual continued fleecing people with overcharging. The standard bus companies including Daewoo, Faisal Movers, Ali Travellers, Bilal Daewoo, Niazi Transporters, Skyways, however, charged the already fixed fares. The seats were hardly available for the passengers at the said bus terminals so passengers went to General Bus Stand, Sherakot, Yadgar Chowk and Thoker Niaz Beg bypass to pick any vehicle which available at time. They faced severe trouble from the overcharging mafia at the points and paid double fare to reach at their destination. “I pay Rs1000 for Multan while the normal fare for the city is Rs600,” said a passenger Rashid hanging at the window of a bus at Thoker bypass.  Another passenger complained that the transporters were even charging full fare for the luggage. However, majority of the travellers who used to go every year know that the fleecing people on these days by the transport owners is a usual matter. Regional Transport Authority claimed that they were ensuring standard fare charging from the passengers and challaned about 52 buses on overcharging. They asked the passengers to register complain on the given number if they were being demand extra fares from the transporters. Transporters, amid the situation, claim that they charge high from on Eid days as buses come back to Lahore almost 60 per cent empty.