MANDI BAHAUDDIN-Politicians-backed influential people with collusion of the district administration continue extorting money from the transporters in the name of Adda fee.
Besides, TMA also charges fixed fee from transporters when they use bus stand to pick up passengers. The people affiliated with main political parties have set up their separate Addas to collect money from transporters at different rates.
Thus, the transporters include the so-called Adda fee in the transport fares and receive the same from passengers. Local administration is not strong enough to stop the old illegal practice which shows weakness of rule of law. People have urged the authorities concerned to stop Adda mafia from obtaining extortion from passengers.
On the other side, villages in Mandi Bahauddin are victim of government neglect and apathy as streets and drainage system in the villages are in dilapidated condition.
The streets in villages Shahidanwali, Lakhnewala, Chak Fateh Shah and Kot Baluch were found with drainage water accumulated everywhere. The streets and the drains needed reconstruction for draining of water. The residents of these villages said that during election campaign, MNA Mumtaz Tarar and Punjab Minister Hameeda Waheed had promised to develop their villages and provide them with all the facilities like provision of gas and improvement of health and education facilities but to no avail. They regretted that more than three years had passed since time of elections but nothing was done for these villages. Roads linking these villages to markets are in a shambles, they said.
Gas was provided to Shahidanwali before 2013 elections but half of its inhabitants are still waiting for connections. Lakhnewala, Chak Fateh Shah and Kot Baluch are also waiting for gas supply. They demanded MNA Mumtaz Tartar should fulfil his promise to arrange provision of gas to Lakhnewala and other villages. They asked Punjab Minister Hameeda Waheed to visit these villages and know about problems and difficulties faced by inhabitants.
They said after becoming MNA and Punjab Minister, Mumtaz Tarar and Hamida Waheed are not accessible to them as most of the time they remain in Lahore and Islamabad. They said huge public funds are being spent on development of cities but villagers are being meted out with step motherly treatment. They urged Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif to allocate adequate funds for development of their villages.