Transport Secretary and present chairman of the Punjab Transport Authority (PTA), Shehzad Ahmed Cheema, is of the view that he has done the due diligence of examining the existing fare structure in detail and worked out operational cost of the public service vehicles before proposing the increase in fares. In my view, Mr. Cheema increased the fares according to his own pay-scales. He forgot that poor citizen of this country do not get a 50% increment in their incomes every year as he has increased the fares by 40-50%. If one has to pay Rs 22 for going from Laiquat Bagh to Zero Point now while the old fare used to be Rs. 15 for it, this is what the math of it works out to be. We are a family being supported by a number of workers. If one has a total income Rs. 8000, and has to pay Rs. 3000 in transports fare, Rs. 5000 for house rent and Rs. 1500 for utility bills, where would we scrounge to get money for food for the family? -RASHIDA AHMED, Rawalpindi, February 20